Chapter 4 - by Adrian

RESPAWN Chronic. Why Adrian's family entered the RESPAWN experiment.

So, I'm gonna get this straight, for the records.  Just in case one day I don't return or whatever.  So listen up closely, 'cause this is my life story.  But when I think about it, I don't think of it as my life story.  I think of it like the main character is one boy who's not me, who I'm looking down at from the sky or something.  So I'll tell it that way, as if it's a depressing fairytale or whatever.

Once upon a time, there was a boy.  He was born into a family where his mom was too young, and his dad was in jail.  He lived, barely scraping it by until he was six years old.  He was a pretty weak, chunky six year old.  Learned how to walk, talk, and tie his shoes late.  But he managed.  Took it one step at a time, one day at a time. 

One day, three days before his seventh birthday, govs came to his house.  "Move to this city," they told his too young mom, "and we'll give you enough government money to last you and your son ten years with cash to spare.  All that in one payment."  And so, my mom, my desperate mom, accepted.

We moved to the city where the citizens were part of a huge science experiment, where police patrolled the borders to make sure nobody left to tell the rest of the world, and where, if you did want to legally leave the city before the experiment was up, you'd have to hire an escort to watch you so that no secrets escaped.  It was a city run by the govs, and a city whose founder was a genius.  Story goes that this genius had a wife that died two years ago while she was giving birth to a little boy named Halden.  In his sorrow, he created machines, RESPAWN machines, trying to make it so nobody would have to die before their time ever again.

The boy went to school, was held back a couple grades.  He met the genius's son at the city school.  His mom got a boyfriend, who was mean, and made her mean, too.  They did things to the boy that made him pretty unhappy.  The only break away from it all was school, but the teachers hated him, so he looked to the genius's son, Halden, for relief.  

Halden and the boy did everything together until the city began to heat up even worse than usual.  Economic depression.  Suicide victims brought back to life when they didn't wanna be.  Religious "immigrants" crossing the boundaries to cause havoc.  And in these times, the boy found himself more lonely than ever.  But most of all, he was lonely because he knows Halden is even lonelier from all the stereotypes.

It doesn't end there.  It never will, until people learn to be more accepting of ideas, like RESPAWN, and leave the people who want to take advantage of them alone.

I'm sorry, Accepting People of the Future, for these words.  I know that where you live now, everyone's so accepting that you all feel like you're walking on sunlight.  You wanna hear something, you sunlight walkers?  My story could be worse.  Much worse.  I've lived a good life compared to some people.  Ha, my life has been paradise compared to some people.  Hard for you to imagine, isn't it?  But I'll make you a promise, okay?  For the sake of your mind's happiness induced feebleness, next chapter will be more bright sided.