Blue (24 page)

The first drawer at the top of the first cabinet was labeled “1996,” and the drawer below that was labeled “1995.” Anytha walked along the wall with the cabinets, running her finger over the labels as the numbers continued to fall. She reached the cabinet labeled “1978,” and fumbled with the keys, attempting to find one that fit.

After the first three tries, she put the fourth key in and it opened the drawer. She pulled it open, exposing hanging files from front to back. The files were split up into two sections, one was labeled “C” and one “O,” with the “C” section at least ten times as thick as the “O” section. Anytha pulled the first file out of the “A” section that was labeled “AP Applications.” Inside was a stack of about one hundred individual pages, and Tabitha pulled out the top one and began to read over it.

AFFLICTED PERSON APPLICATION FOR ADMITTANCE

Given Name: (optional) –
Penelope Anthony

Date:
23 February 1978

Date of Birth: (optional):
3/03/1976

Gender: ¨M/

F

Ethnicity:

Colored  ¨White  ¨Asian  ¨None Dominant

Primary Affliction:
Albinism

Other Deformities/Diseases/Maladies:
Missing right hand

Anytha flipped the page forward and noticed that every page in the folder looked exactly the same, but for different residents. She checked the dates at the top of the pages and saw that there was no pattern in how they had been placed in this file. Her heart sank as she flipped through them and saw no rhyme or reason to what she was seeing. She knew that there was no way she could look through all of these pages to find the information that she was looking for.

She put the pages back in the folder, then put the folder back into the section labeled “C” and reached for the front folder from the section labeled “O.” The folder was again labeled “AP Applications” and she opened it to find a smaller stack of the same papers from the first folder she had pulled. She flipped through this stack, looking for any pattern that she could find, but could see nothing that made any sense. She could find nothing that ordered these pictures, nothing that separated any of them from the rest.

She flipped through the smaller stack, trying not to think about how disappointed she was that there was no space on these sheets requiring the afflicted person’s guardian to write any information about themselves. Anytha found it even more disappointing that the afflicted person’s date of birth was optional. Anytha racked her brain for any possible way to tie one of these registrations to her family. She began to skim through the pages again, looking at nothing in particular, lost in attempting to figure out a puzzle that didn’t seem to have an answer.

“Anytha, hurry. You can’t stay in there much longer,” Ari whispered from the door of the file room.

“Okay. I’m coming,” Anytha said as she flipped through the pages of the small stack again, staring at the box labeled “White.”

White. Her sibling must have been white. But with all the white applicants, she figured there would be no way to tell which one could have been her brother or sister. She flipped through the stack and noticed that none of them had a check mark beside the “White” box. She put the stack back into the folder, put the folder back into the drawer, and pulled out the first folder again that she had pulled out in the “C” file. She began flipping through the file focusing on the “White” box this time. They were all empty as well. Instead, she noticed that in this file all of the boxes had been marked “Colored.”

“‘C’ is for colored. It’s by race,” Anytha whispered under her breath, placing the files back into the drawer and pulling the set of keys back out from her pocket to find the key that had opened the drawer. She stood up and unlocked the drawer above, labeled “1979,” and pulled it open. Inside were three sections. And just like the last drawer, there was one large folder labeled “C” for colored, one labeled “O,” which Anytha figured meant “other”, and far in the back of the drawer, a small section labeled “W.”

“Anytha, I hear someone coming. You have to get out of there now,” Ari whispered intently.

Anytha grabbed the folder out of the front and pulled out the sole application in the folder. Beside the box for “White” was a check mark. The “Date of Birth” box had been left blank. The “Gender” column was checked “Female.” And on the line for “Name” was scratched “Tabitha.”

Anytha put the paper back into the file, put it back into its place and shut the drawer, being careful not to slam it. She quickly ran over to the door and threw Ari the set of keys, which he caught and immediately placed back into the box and into the drawer. Anytha walked over to the water cooler and grabbed a triangular paper cup from the holder on the side, filling it with water, and she walked back to the door. She walked back out into the office at the same moment that Barb was taking her seat from Ari at the front desk.

“Just getting some water,” Anytha said, holding up her glass to Barb, as the phone rang and Barb picked up the receiver.

C h a p t e r 
22

The woman with the red hair, who called herself Mavie, finished blow-drying Tabitha’s hair and ran her fingers through it one last time. She took off the cape that she had wrapped around Tabitha’s neck and spun the chair around. Tabitha saw her reflection in the mirror and barely recognized herself. Her hair had been dyed a beautiful, caramel blonde, and small strands throughout her head had intentionally been dyed a lighter blonde. The cut made it fall gently around her jaw, and the woman had styled it perfectly for her face. She couldn’t believe that whom she saw in the mirror was the same person who sat down in this chair an hour earlier.

“Now, let’s do your eyebrows to match,” Mavie said, touching Tabitha’s arm to guide her back over to the chair. Mavie coated her eyebrows with a thin layer of the same goop that she had placed on her hair, and after waiting a few minutes, came back and washed it off. The woman put two strips of hot wax over the top and bottom of her eyebrows and ripped strategic hairs out with one yank. Tabitha jumped at the pain.

“Okay, all done,” Mavie said. “Go check yourself out.”

Tabitha walked over to the mirror and inspected herself thoroughly. Before her eyebrows had been dyed, she thought that she still looked a bit like herself, but the color on her brows made her look like she wasn’t albino at all. A little mascara on her eyelashes, and her albinism would be hidden to everyone. Nobody would even be able to tell her apart from any other white, young woman walking on the streets of Johannesburg. She felt a small sense of sadness well up inside of her, as she tousled her hair with her fingers. While albinism was an affliction, it was part of what made her who she was. As she ran her fingers over her eyebrows, she felt a sense of guilt wash over her, as if by allowing them to change her hair, in a sense she lost a bit of herself. She paused and stared at herself in the mirror, when she heard Alyssa squeal as she came around the corner.

“Oh my word! Tabitha! You look like a movie star!” Alyssa said, touching her hair.

Tabitha smiled and complimented her on her makeover. Alyssa would never be able to escape her affliction completely; albinism was much more obvious on the colored residents like Alyssa. But they had straightened her hair and colored it dark with flecks of red, and dyed her brows the same shade as her hair. The color in her hair alone made her look ten years older.

The girls were told that as soon as they were done, they could head back to their rooms, and Tabitha walked with Alyssa back to their dorm. Alyssa talked about how she couldn’t wait to put makeup on to go with her new hair, while Tabitha just listened and stared at her feet walking over the brick pathway.

“I’m not really feeling well. I think I’m going to go rest in my room for a little while,” Tabitha said to Alyssa as they walked up to her door together.

“Oh. Okay. I’m sorry,” Alyssa said, turning to go to her own room. “Feel better.”

Tabitha wrapped her finger around the knob of her door and pushed it open. She walked in and ran her fingers over the carved posts on her oversized, plush bed. Walking over to the dresser, she stared at a silver plate that had been set up with small bottles of perfume on it. She realized that in her fatigue the night before, she hadn’t taken the time to look at everything that had been set up for her in her room. She opened the top drawer of her dresser. Flitting through the stacks of cotton panties and socks and tank tops and sports bras, all neatly folded for her and categorized perfectly in lines with their own kind, she picked out a pair of particularly fuzzy socks that were in the back. They would make a perfect companion to an afternoon nap. She took off her sandals and slipped the socks onto her feet, rubbing her hands over her silky smooth legs that still smelled of the rich lotion that had been rubbed over them only a couple of hours before.

Tabitha closed the top drawer and placed her hand on the knob of the second drawer, when a loud beeping sound came from a speaker above her door that she had never noticed before.

“Attention, residents. Tonight we will be celebrating your arrival at your new residence with a party in the main hall. Dress will be semi-formal, so please explore your closets and dressers for something fitting to wear. Each of you have been given many gowns that will work well for this evening, but feel free to trade with other residents if you would like. We ask that everyone report to the main hall at promptly 7:00 p.m. Dinner will be served at the celebration. Thank you,” said a voice over the intercom that Tabitha reasoned was Dr. Hance.

Tabitha stood for a moment with her hand resting on the knob of the second drawer, looked at herself in the silver plate on top and sighed. She felt her stomach tie in knots thinking about the celebration that she would be forced to join tonight. She shook her head and pulled open the drawer where her hand was lingering, letting her eyes fall to its contents. She swallowed hard as she saw that she was staring down into a drawer full of lingerie.

Tabitha reached down into the drawer and picked up a red, lace-covered, silk nightgown with a built in push-up bra. The straps hung lifelessly over her fingers as she lifted it out of the drawer, her mouth hanging open as she inspected it. Next to the nightgown in the drawer, she saw a set of thigh-high black tights, countless risqué pairs of panties, and a half-dozen pretty push-up bras with every type of strap option imaginable. Tabitha balled up the red nightgown, threw it back into the drawer, and closed it tightly. She walked over to her bed, buried her face into the pillows, and pulled the covers over her head, holding back tears at the thought of why they might have supplied a bunch of teenage girls with a drawer full of lingerie. Eventually, the weight of the concerns took hold of her consciousness, and she drifted off to sleep.

Tabitha was awakened by the sound of a knock at her door, and she looked at the clock, realizing that she had been asleep for over an hour. She walked over to the door and opened it, letting Alyssa walk in with her arms loaded with plastic garment bags.

“Have you been asleep this whole time? Wait, did you sleep through the announcement?” Alyssa asked.

“No, I heard the announcement,” Tabitha said, rubbing her eyes as Alyssa threw the bags down on her bed.

“Well, everyone else is freaking out trying to get ready for this party tonight. The rumor is that they might actually be bringing the boys from Humanity over tonight. I mean, why else would they ask us to get dressed up?” Alyssa asked, grinning excitedly.

“I honestly don’t know,” Tabitha said, sitting down on the bed.

“Can I look through your closet? I picked a few that I liked from mine and traded with a couple of other girls. Just want to be sure I pick the right one,” Alyssa said, walking over to the closet and opening the door.

“Of course. Help yourself,” Tabitha said.

“Have you decided on what you are going to wear?” Alyssa asked.

“Haven’t even looked in my closet yet,” Tabitha said, leaning back on her hands.

“Oh, well. We only have an hour and a half until it starts, you know,” Alyssa said.

“Okay. Well, go ahead and open the bags and I’ll pick one,” Tabitha said.

Alyssa unzipped all of the bags that were in Tabitha’s closet and pulled out the dresses one by one. The first was a short, red chiffon dress with ruffles around the edge of a flowy skirt; the next was a black velvet dress with a form-fitting body and a high neckline.

“I’ll just wear that one,” Tabitha said, pulling the black dress out of her hand and heading to the closet to look for a black pair of shoes to wear with it.

“Really? I have a black one too, but I thought it would just be kinda boring. You sure you don’t want to look at the rest of them?” Alyssa asked.

“Yeah, I’ll try this one on. But I think I’m good,” Tabitha said, stepping inside her closet, then closing the door slightly behind her and slipping on the dress. She pulled on a pair of black, strappy heels that happened to be a perfect fit, and stepped out of the closet to display herself to her friend.

“Whoa! That looks great on you. Especially with your new hair. Looks edgy. Like you’re being simple on purpose,” Alyssa said, pulling out a short purple dress with a sequined bodice from a bag from Tabitha’s closet. “Ooh, I’m gonna have to try this one on!”

Tabitha stepped back into the closet, changed back into her clothes, and hung the dress back up in the closet. No need wearing it until it was time to leave. She opened the door and saw Alyssa standing there wearing the purple dress, holding the front of it up with her hands.

“Can you zip me?” Alyssa asked, turning around to show Tabitha her back.

As Tabitha walked over and reached for the zipper on the back of her dress, she could see the strap of a lacy, black strapless bra. She pulled the zipper upward and Alyssa spun around to look at herself in the mirror.

“I think this is the one,” Alyssa said, letting her arms fall at her sides. “What do you think?”

“It looks great on you,” Tabitha said, noticing how Alyssa now had cleavage for the first time under the influence of her new bra.

“Now I just need some silver shoes. I think I have some back in my room,” Alyssa said, sliding the dress off and putting it back into the bag. She picked up the other dresses that she had brought with her. “I guess I’ll see you there. I’ll come by before and we can walk together.”

Tabitha felt a queasy feeling rise up in her stomach as she stared at herself in the mirror over her dressing table. She ran to the bathroom and upon wiping noticed a small spot of blood on the toilet paper. She sighed as she reached under the sink for her silicone cup that they had brought from their last residence for the collection of their monthly bleeding. She inserted it as she had been instructed, rolling her eyes once again at the thought of the start of another week of blood harvest. She couldn’t help but gag a little every month about just how disgusting the practice was, and she didn’t think she would ever get used to the idea.