Prologue

Prologue

I am not the only of my kind. There are thousands of us spread  across the globe, our jobs aren't easy. 57 years ago the humans were being taken over, they were being ruled by an unseen force. Something that cannot be destroyed. It started with the teens, suicides increased by alarming numbers, violence skyrocketed, police could no longer control the circulation of drugs, hate filled the faces of people you loved most, and some were so blinded by pain, they became unrecognizable. Of course I was not yet fabricated during this time. My people were made as a solution. Not a cure, a treatment. Something to keep the beast at bay, to give the humans a chance to thrive. We are called the Faveo and we treat the world of its depression.

Giving away happiness is not simple, at least it isn't for the giver, us the Faveo. In order to hand over the smile,  first you have to muster up one. Which can be very hard after two years on the job. You see Faveo are only born to last a few years, then our happiness drains and we become depressed like the rest of the world. But not quite. Once our happiness runs out, we are in a state of total self loss. Some of us off ourselves, others wait for The Day. It happens once a year, the time we can opt to be put down, or offed. I know it sounds terrible but its what we were made to do, we are created, we live, we die. Just like humans, except more humanely-if that suits this context. I am writing this now from my chamber in the big dorms all the Faveo sleep in, tomorrow is my offing day and before I die, I'd like to share my story.

The first time I woke up, I was surrounded by close to one thousand others, all unconscious, all hooked up to the same machines i was, although I hardly noticed this due to the uncontrollable pain in my head. As soon as I started to wonder what was happening the answer flew through my head, a knowledge transfer. They were putting all the knowledge of todays world into my head, all of it. the past present and future, everything the Faveo knew. At the time I wouldn't'  have been able to describe what I was feeling, but looking back I can describe it as knives in my skull. The pain was so horrible my back arched and I let out the most terrified scream. I remember my hands nearly grabbing the wires attached to my head before several hands were holding me down.

“One in every thousand” someone grunts, fighting with my arm.”Poor Faveo”. The straps were fastening on my arms, legs, and torso.

“Well,” another said, fastening a strap on my other arm. “They say they are the brightest”

I suppose that someone was right, I was bright. Maybe not in the way he would have wanted or expected, but I was bright enough to see through the facades and stare into the face of the beast myself. After that discernment, I blacked out.

The next time I woke up, I was thankful to have my head at ease. That was the only thing i was thankful for. My arms wouldnt budge when told, my eyes only stared at the darkness of their own lids. The only thing i was aware of, was sound. The only sound i heard was the continuous beeping of the machine i was apprently hooked up to, i listened to that beeping for what had to be hours. Praying that sleep would claim me again. It was like everytime the machine beeped, it drove a little furter into my mind, dug a little deeper and awakened every crevice of my mind. But it would not let me move, it would notlet me open my eyes. What felt like hours of agony later, the beeping was broken by a different sound, my mind told me it was a pair of heels on the hard wood floor. Click-clack, click-clack, click-clack. until it stopped. There was the obvious shuffle of clothes, a warm hand places it self on my arm, and a face leans down. I can feel hot breath against my skin. instantly i know she is not someone i can trust.

“I know you can hear me” a sharp hiss escapes their lips. its a womens voice. Hot air washes over my ear. My heart skips a beat. “I know who you are and what you will do. And believe me, nothing will stop me from stopping you” She takes a deep breath and pulls back. The only thing running through my mind is bascally: what the hell.  hear what sounds like her fiddeing with my IV and everything goes black.