The Perfect Ones-Chapter One

Chapter One1

“Are you ready to go in, Miss?” The man asked me. He was a short, pudgy man with graying hair and thick glasses. “Miss?” He asked again when I didn’t respond.2

“Yes, I believe I am,” I replied finally. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. I straightened my knee-length black skirt and lifted my chin. “Let’s go,” I said bravely.3

I walked down the long hallway, my black high heels clicking along the gray tiled floor. I followed the head of janitorial staff-the short man. He had introduced himself as Lawrence Willis. 4

He turned to me. “The room is the one at the end of the hallway. This building is really easy to find your way around. You’ll be at home in no time.”5

I nodded and tried to smile. I hope not, I thought. We reached the end of the hallway. A set of double doors loomed in front of me like a bad omen. They were made of solid wood, and had no windows. 6

“This is the room. You can go on in,” Lawrence said to me. I nodded again, and tried to find my voice.7

“Thank you Lawrence,” I finally said. “You can go now.”8

Lawrence stuffed his hands in his pockets and went back down the long hallway.9

I turned to face the double doors. I reached out to touch the handles, but immediately pulled my hand back, as if the handles were shooting sparks. “You can do this,” I whispered to myself. I took a deep breath, squeezed my eyes shut, pushed the handles down, and pulled.10

Six pairs of eyes turned to face me as I entered the room. I could feel the corners of my mouth quivering. The doors slammed behind me. Oh what a final sound was: that slam. 11

I walked over to the group of six kids. They were sitting in blue plastic chairs, arranged in a perfect circle. Two chairs stood empty. 12

“Greetings and salutations, visitor. We welcome you to our humble domain. Please, have a seat and become a member of our circle.” A small boy had stood and was addressing me. He had blonde hair that lay completely flat upon his perfectly shaped head. His eyes were exactly the same shape, and were a beautiful shade of blue. He was wearing neat tan dress pants, a dark blue button-up shirt, and a pair of brown dress shoes.13

I sat down in the chair he had indicated. The small boy sat back down in his seat. Six sets of eyes stared at me, waiting expectantly. Waiting for what? 14

“Hello... children,” I said awkwardly. 15

“Hello,” Six voices replied in unison.16

“Why don’t we go around in a circle? Introduce yourself to the group, and ask me any questions that you have. Does that sound okay to everyone?” Six heads nodded yes. “Okay... why don’t we start with... you?” I indicated the girl sitting to my right.17

She stood up. “My name is Jennifer. I am six years old.” The girl-Jennifer-was so primly dressed that I could hardly believe that she was only six years old. She wore a simple red plaid dress, with a white sweater over it, white tights, and a pair of black Mary Jane shoes. Not a scuff was on her shoe, nor a dirt streak on her sweater. Her long brown hair had been carefully arranged in two French braids. Not a strand was out of place. Her eyes were brown, and each exactly the same depth. Her small nose was perfect-not crooked, or bumpy. Her small hands-clean fingernails-were smooth and delicate.18

The girl sitting next to her rose as Jennifer took her seat. “My name is Elizabeth. I am five years of age.” The five year hold had beautiful red hair that hung down to her waist. It was pulled back with a simple barrette. She wore a blue velvet skirt and a light pink fuzzy sweater. Her white tights were, of course, dirt free, and her flat black shoes fit perfectly.19

The boy who had greeted me was sitting next to Elizabeth. He stood and smoothed the front of his pants. “The name that my parents gave me at birth was Josiah. However, I prefer to be addressed by my middle name, which is Langston. I am currently seven years of age.”20

Three more children stood up and introduced themselves-Melinda, Peter, and Timothy. Three boys and three girls. They were all dressed in different outfits, yet seemingly were exactly the same.21

When the circle came back around to me, I stood and awkwardly faced the six waiting faces turned toward me.22

“My name is Ms. Madison Cornell. I am twenty-six years old.” I took a deep breath and looked at all of them. “I’m here to help you rejoin society.”    23

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