‘Mathew, you idiot, where are you?’ I laugh as I run along the corridor. The boards creak beneath my feet, my rubber bottomed shoes squeaking on the varnished wood; they didn’t bother to carpet the attic. To be fair, only Mathew and I come up here.

‘In here,’ he shouts as I push the door open to find him stood at a window. He doesn’t turn as the door bangs shut behind me.

‘What you looking at?’ I peer over his shoulder, smiling at the view. In the distance, the river snakes through the farmland and further off is the small town that most the staff come from, brought in and out each day under tight security.

‘Look at all the people, I have never seen it this busy, not even when…’ his voice trails off as he feels me stiffen next to him. ‘Sorry!’ He drapes an arm around my shoulders and pulls me close.

‘It’s okay,’ but it isn’t, not really. I know what he was going to say, and it scares me.

We watch the activity before turning and settling down on the bean bags we dragged up here. I place the board between us and start setting my pieces in their places. I am white and Mathew is black. He watches me smiling as he places his. We both pick up our last pawn together and, laughing at each other, we place them on the board at the same time. Then we sit, contemplating our first moves. My elbows are on my knees as I rest my chin in my hands. Without looking, Mathew is doing the same, his long legs crossed like mine.

‘It will be alright.’ His gaze locks with mine. ‘You know, without me.’ He nods as if that is the end of it.

‘Yeah, I know,’ I say, casting my gaze at the game.

‘Time will pass quickly, and we will see each other again, you are bound to be matched to someone important.’ He grins and I half smile back.

‘What if it’s all lies?’ I blurt, unable to hold in the nagging doubts.

‘What?’ He frowns as his fingers hover over his chess piece.

‘What if they just say that to keep us here, stop us from freaking out and escaping?’ I am slightly annoyed when he laughs.

‘Adam, man, you think way too much besides you don’t kill your most valuable assets now, do you?’

‘I suppose,’ I concede and concentrate on the game. Maybe he is right. I try to convince myself, but to me neither option is very appealing. ‘But I don’t want that. I don’t want their plan for me,’ I blurt out, unable to look at him.

‘What… what do you mean?’ he splutters. With a sigh, he settles his gaze on me as I glance at him. ‘Adam, mate, what exactly do you want? Maybe if you tell me, we can sort it all out, yeah.’ I think about that for a minute, unsure if I should share with him. He is watching me closely in that way he does. Mathew is very observant once you get past his bumbling nature. His expression is one of puzzlement, but his eyes are calculating. Sometimes I don’t think Mathew is as he seems. I brush off my misgivings as I marshal my thoughts.

‘I want…’ I pause.

‘Go on,’ he encourages.

‘I want a puppy,’ he looks at me confused, then bursts out laughing.

‘Stop it,’ I grumble with indignation as he controls his mirth. ‘What I meant was I want a house, a home of my own and a pet. Not be someone’s pet. I want to choose what I am going to eat and make it myself. Not have someone else’s decision thrust upon me.’ I run my hand through my hair. ‘I want my time to be my own and fall in love properly. Not be matched to a stranger.’ I gaze at him to see his reaction and I am shocked to see sadness pulling at his features.

‘Adam,’ his voice is sombre. ‘You know that can never happen, don’t you?’ his voice is soft as his eyes roam my face. I hang my head in defeat.

‘I know,’ my voice a petulant mumble. ‘But why can’t I? There must be somewhere in this vast world where I can have that?’ It comes out angry and I see him flinch.

‘No, Adam, you can’t because the world isn’t like the stories in your books, or the programs you like to watch. That has all gone along with the men. You know that as well as I do.’ Now he is looking at me with pity, and honestly, I want to punch him.

‘Look, just forget I said anything, okay. Check mate,’ I push his king down harder than necessary.

‘Adam, you need to reconcile yourself with what you are. What we are and our purpose.’

‘Then I would rather die,’

‘No… No Adam, never say that’ his voice aghast.

I pack away the game, sliding the box against the wall as Mathew stretches his cramped muscles. Surging to my feet and stretching my arms above my head, I release the tension in my back from sitting in the same position for so long.

‘Time for tea I reckon.’ Mathew grabs my arm, pulling me out of the room and along the corridor to the stairs just as my Mother appears. She is dressed down in jeans and a jumper, trainers on her feet.

‘Hello, Mother, are you okay?’ I ask as we walk along the corridor towards her. ‘You look troubled.’

‘Yes, I’m fine. What were you two doing up in the attic?’ She asks.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

‘We go up there to play chess,’ Mathew answers, ‘we go up there to play because it is the only place that we get any peace and quiet,’ a charming smile graces his face as my Mother can’t help herself as she succumbs to his innocent charm. Her features that were stern a moment ago soften.

‘I see, well you shouldn’t really be sneaking off without supervision. From now on we will keep better track of all of your movements.’ she informs us with an air of finality.

‘Oh, why is that?’ I ask, attempting to sound only mildly interested.

‘If you must know, last night security found a set of footprints through the snow from the house and into the nearby woods. We suspect it was one of the staff, but we can’t be taking any chances. As such, from now on, you shall not go unaccompanied. Fortunately, it highlighted a hole in the perimeter fence that has since been repaired. Now come along, it’s time for dinner,’ she said before turning around and striding off along the landing. We follow her in silence while I mentally kick myself for being stupid enough to leave a trail of snowy footprints.

***

Creeping along the back corridor that the library is on, my only thought is I hope no one else is using it, but since classes have finished for the day, it should be empty. Placing my hand on the heavy wooden doors, I push them open, cringing at the creaking noise they make, amplified by the silence. It becomes apparent that the library is empty, and the lights are turned off. Carefully closing the doors behind me, I leave the lights off as I move deeper into the library to where the computers are.

I spend so much time in here. The darkness is no hinderance. Moving around the ornately carved oak bookcases. My feet make little noise on the wooden block flooring. Laid in an intricate pattern that matches the carving on the bookcases. The large floor to ceiling windows with their cushion filled seating. Allow the moonlight to shed its pale light. Towards the back, where the enormous fireplace gives the room a sumptuous feel with groups of cosy sofas and armchairs. The fire has already been cleaned and laid for the morning. Interspersed between the cosy seating are dark oak tables and the computers.

Hearing voices, my assumption was wrong: someone else is in here. Getting up, I sidle up to one of the large bookcases, using it to shield me as I crouch against it. I glimpse my Mother talking to someone who I can’t see. I hear a snatch of conversation pressing tighter to the bookcase as I listen.

‘We need to get him away. He isn’t coping. We knew this would happen. He isn’t like the other boys. He shouldn’t be here doing this, and time is running out.’ My Mother’s voice rises slightly in agitation. I have never known her upset. She is always so cheerful. Sometimes it annoys me, the way she is always smiling and happy, never getting cross.

‘I know, Emma, but it took us time to find you. Plans are being made to move him, but we aren’t the only ones who know about him. It will be hard getting him out of the country. You don’t want them to move him first, and you don’t want them to replace you, change his Mother.’

‘Mathew is being moved soon. Can’t we use that as a distraction and get him out at the same time?’

‘That would be really risky. I got confirmation of Mathew’s match today.’

‘Who is she?’

‘Only Madame Ramsbottom’s bloody cousin.’

‘Will she accompany her? If she sees Adam, she will know exactly what he is?’

‘I am aware of that.’

‘Are you willing to take that risk?’

‘No, of course not, but he is so sad. It’s painful to watch. Please hurry, it was bad enough we split them up…,’ My Mother paces. ‘He talked to Mathew earlier, said he would rather die than carry on as an Adam.’ damn Mathew the rotten snitch. I frown in annoyance.

‘Look, I will see what I can do, what with the break in the other night. Maybe it is time we moved him. Gen-Corp has been pestering me for him anyway as all his sample’s fail. They want him with the other one. What did you tell him about his brother?’

‘He thinks Aaron is dead. It was the only way to stop the questions.’

‘Aaron is fine. Unlike Adam, he is perfectly happy. Gen-Corp has him secure in a facility before they give him back as per the agreement.’ I hear their footsteps on the wooden floor, along with the swish of the door opening and closing, indicating I am alone. She lied, she lied, sinking to the floor, resting my head on my drawn-up knees. She lied, he is alive. Oh, how stupid am I is the thought that burst into my head? Of course he is. He was created the one they wanted. I am the extra surprise and inconvenience they didn’t know what to do with.

I want to find him is my first thought, see him, hug him again. I am deviating from my original plan. He is distracting me, like he always did when we were children. But I could find him? The little voice in my head whispers its seduction. Yes, I could but first I have to escape here and soon. If they move me again all I have accomplished here will be lost.

Banging my head on my knees before pushing to my feet. I came here for a reason and I won't get another chance. I move to the tables grouped together on each sits a screen upon a small black box. Pulling out a chair I run my fingers over the small buttons pressing gently. Pulling the key board close as I type in the commands. Scanning the room just to check I am still alone, undiscovered.

The Gen-corp logo dances across the screen a bee entwined with the gender symbol of a male. Depicting the thing that doomed us and saved us and enslaved the likes of me. My dark thought as it fades into the background and I search the table of contents.

I skim over a brief explanation from Gen-Corp. The disaster that created this world, from what I understand, was a gradual thing. So, a lot of things stayed as the world adapted. As the birth-rate dropped, it seems the world prioritised. So, the internet stayed, not like it was, nothing is like it was before, but enough for me to find the information I need. As the men died because of the contraceptive and the way it broke down in the body. The women, the healthy women prioritised the things that needed to function, such as electricity, farming, food production. The Adam programme, me. Then, of course, maintaining a healthy population. Sterilizing the contaminated girls and women although like the men the contraceptive poisoned them. So they slowly died. The children born to them to sickly to survive caused a medical dilemma and emergency.

Once online, I download a map of the surrounding area. That way once I leave the home, I’ll at least have a vague idea of where I am going. Avoiding the heavily populated areas if I can while finding safe places to spend the nights. I am distracted by a report. Opening it I read. It seems some girls are clean immune to the contaminant and a cataloguing iniative is being rolled out to find them. I read a bit more before I realise I must focus. I find all this fascinating which considering it traps me is a little weird. Know your enemy Aaron used to say.

Once the map is printed, I move the mouse over admin and look for my Mother’s name. I then spend a few minutes working out her password and look for my movement papers. I print these off, they might come in useful. Above my file are Aarons. I open it and study his movement papers. They moved him around a lot after leaving me. He has a match? The last record of him is a facility near Glasgow. Hang on, they will move again him when he is eighteen. I have to find him and soon. I print off the address. Closing that, I find the train timetable because Glasgow is as far away as it gets, and I can’t walk all the way. I plan to find him and then go to Ireland. I erase any evidence I have used the computer and then turn it off. Folding the map and other information up, I push it into my pocket and leave the library.