#anyans

“It’s okay,” yousay. “I don’t know mine either.” You’ve been trying to figure it out for awhile now, to find another name you can tag yourself under. “Sometimes you cantell someone by their class just by looking at them. You do know what aclass is, right?”

“Not really,” hereplies. “I guess they didn’t bother to program that knowledge into me. Butyou’ll tell me, right?”

“It’s nothing youcan’t figure out yourself, but okay.” So you tell him what you know aboutclasses, all while studying him up and down. The boy is a mystery, really. He’sdefinitely not the traditional artificial human like you are, nor does he seemto be part of a specialized class like Laborers. It’s only as the monthprogresses do you realize that, in a vast landscape of similarly-engineeredartificial humans such as yourself, Min Yoongi strikes a stark contrast.

First of all, hisappearance is different. Pale hair, pale skin, thin legs. His overall build issmall and compact.

“Are you sure youcan reach it? Cupboard 4B is kind of high,” you say, looking at him. “Ican get someone else to open it for us, you know.” It’s his third day at theCenter, and ever since he introduced himself in your room, the two of you havebeen inseparable. Right now you’re teaching him the ropes, guiding him throughthe daily Cleaning.

“I won’t know unlessI try,” he insists, and stretches upwards on his tiptoes to reach the cupboard.His fingertips just barely graze the handle as he struggles, groaning. Youstifle a giggle behind your hand. Finally, he gives up and sighs.

And then he does theunexpected: clambering on top of the counter. Balancing carefully on hisfeet, you watch as he teeters precariously close to the edge and daintily pullsthe cupboard open. He turns to you, a triumphant look on his face, and tossesthe needed cleaning wipes down at you.

“Wow,” you manage,unable to say anything else. You’re lost for words. “Wow.”

Secondly, his dietis different. You’re pretty sure that the Caretakers specifically make a meal justfor him, and then deliver right to his spot across from you.

“Pineapples?”you look at his plate, almost in disbelief. “You get pineapples? And avocado?”Absolute luxuries. The last time you’ve seen so much foreign produce on a platewas - well, never. His food looks vastly different from your bland mixture ofbeans and rice; it’s full of color, looking fresh and definitely not reheatedfrom the Slop.

“Yeah,” he says,spearing an avocado slice. “Caretakers say I have to maintain a clean diet fora healthy body. My health is supposed to be my number-one priority,apparently.” He catches you staring at his avocado and holds his fork up toyou. “Want one?”

“Hell yes.”

Thirdly, his dailyroutine is different. Every day, instead of participating in Learning, Yoongiis whisked away to the Clinic. As far as you know, no one’s ever been able toskip out on Learning. You’re immensely jealous, because you’re sick of learningall about finance and etiquette and how to create an effective workout routinefor others. Going to the Clinic and getting a sticker to put on your calendarsounds a lot more fun.

//

Normally he comesback from the Clinic around the same time that you’re finished with theLearning, which works out so the two of you can eat dinner together. But today,you waited and waited and waited for him to get back, until theCaretakers dragged you to go get dinner. And then you finished and gotback, and he still isn’t here.

He’s taking forever. You tap your fingers on your desk, staring out at the emptyroom next to yours. Yoongi’s. You sigh.

Maybe, you think, aquick visit to the Clinic wouldn’t be so bad. You could probably feign somesort of stomach ache or whatever, and somewhere along the way see if Yoongi’sokay. You’re seriously worried with how long he’s taking; the last time someonetook this long at the Clinic, they never returned. And you can’t bear thethought of not seeing Yoongi again without at least saying goodbye.

And so, you hop offyour bed, feet padding quietly to your door, body hunched and eyes alert.

//

Sneaking in andaround the Clinic is easy, almost too easy. In fact, it was so easy thatit has actually become a problem: you may have snuck in too far. Youflatten yourself against the wall and take a quick peek around the corner.Yeah–you’re probably a bit too deep. Turning back now would be a waste; youstill haven’t seen Yoongi, and you’ve certainly never seen this part ofthe Center.

You’re just about toround the corner and bolt down the hall when you hear a door sliding open, thensliding shut. At least two people come out of the room, conversing.

“–says he can’twait to get this new project launched, and honestly speaking, I can’t either,”one man says.

“Yeah,” a womanagrees. “How much longer do you think it’ll take? From what I could tell, thespecimen looks pretty healthy. And ripe for the harvesting, or so they say.”She giggles a little. The man guffaws.

“Oh, give it acouple weeks’ time. Organs still need to acclimate, you see. But look, did yousee the paper today?” There’s the crinkle of paper. “It’s all over the newsnow, you know! And we haven’t even started yet! Imagine how big this wholefranchise is going to be once we get the ball rolling.”

“Well, as soon as weget a successful transplant, that is,” the woman seems to remind him. “Butyeah, no, I saw it. All the headlines this morning were going off about theHarvest humans.”

“Mhm,” the man says.There’s the sound of paper being crumpled up and tossed. “Was looking forsomewhere to throw that away.” He pauses. “Oh, looks like they need me inthere; the lights are flashing. Probably to check in on the specimenagain–we’re still doing the mid-cycle checkups and everything–but thanks forstopping by today. Sorry we kept you so late.”

“Oh no, it’s noproblem!” The woman begins to take steps toward you and you tense up, ready tomake a run for it.

“Oh, you know youcan leave out there right? That exit’s a lot closer,” the man says. You slowly,slowly, let out a breath.

“Why thank you!” Andthen she walks in the opposite direction, steps fading away. The doors slideopen, slide shut, and you presume the man is gone. Your breathing goes back tonormal, but your heart is still pounding, mind is still whirling. New project?Organs? Harvest humans?

You hear noisescoming from behind you. And suddenly, you’re reminded of why you’re here again;you’re here for Yoongi, not for all this… random, whatever theywere talking about. Checking over the corner one last time to make sure thehall is empty, you turn into the corridor and stealthily run down its length,eyes searching for any sign of Yoongi.

Still, when you passby the trash can, you can’t help but peek inside and, on a whim, grab the crumplednewspaper ball.

//

You never do end upfinding him, but after a fitful night of rest, you’re pleased to discover thatYoongi’s in his room by the next morning.

“Where’d you go?What happened to you? I thought you weren’t going to… come back, or something.”You drop your head down for a second, then quickly look up at him. “Are youokay? Did something go wrong?”

Yoongi blinks atyou, then cracks a slight smile. “Wrong? No, everything went absolutely right.Or at least, that’s what I was told.”

Confused, you cockyour head to the side. “What?”

He shrugs. “Thetests. They took awhile, which was why I’ve been out. Wasn’t awake for half ofthem, but when I got out, Doctors gave me my usual sticker and said I was doingfine. Whatever that means.”

“Oh,” you say. “Oh.Well, that’s good at least!” You pause, bite your bottom lip. “You just had meso, worried, you know. I actually, uh–” you pause, look around your room,then, in a low whisper, “–snuck into the Clinic last night to check on you.”

Yoongi stops swinginghis feet–a habit that he seems to do whenever he’s bored–and stares at you indisbelief, eyes wide. “You what? Did you really? Did you get caught? Didyou see me?”

You shake your head.“Nothing really happened…” You let your words trail off.

“Nothing?” Yoongiasks.”

“Nothing, except this.”With an extra flourish, you reach underneath your standard-issue pillow andpull out the crinkled newspaper. “One of the Doctors threw it away and I nabbedit from the trashcan while I was at it. Thought it’d make interesting readingmaterial, considering you hardly attend Learning.”

Enchanted, Yoongiruns his fingers over the wrinkled surface. “This… this is from the outsideworld. That’s forbidden, isn’t it?”

You nod, give a slysmile. “Yeah. Cool, isn’t it? We can read it together! I haven’t looked at ityet. Apparently it’s about something really popular that they’re developing inthe labs right now, or something.”

“‘The complicationsof organ transplants will become yesterday’s problem with the advent of Harvesthumans,’” Yoongi says, reading the title aloud. “Interesting.”

//

“Harvest humans arethe newest type of artificial human. While still currently in development,researchers believe that given their current successes with this particularspecimen, they will be able to effectively “grow” organs, which in turn can be“harvested” with only a mere 30 days of development. This new supply of humanorgans will bolster the current supply and make it much easier

//

“Hey, you know, themoon of the Snake will be starting soon, and they’re holding a small festivalfor it in town.” You kick at a stone and Yoongi gives a nod of his head. Youlook around, suck in a breath and whisper close to his ear, “Wanna sneak outwith some others and hang out tomorrow?” You step back and await his answer,giddy. You’ve been planning this for weeks now, your first expedition tothe outside. With Yoongi, nonetheless. You’ve heard so many storiesabout the world that lies beyond the Center from some of the older, moreadventurous people around you, and can’t wait to experience all the wonder andbeauty with Yoongi.

“Tomorrow?” Heblinks, looking almost lost. “I don’t have a tomorrow.”

“What?” You turn andlook at him, feeling shocked, disturbed. “What do you mean you don’t have atomorrow? Are you moving away or something? Are you being Graduated?” You feelyour stomach sinking.

“I guess, yeah.”Yoongi pokes at the ground with a stick. “People tell me I’ll be going to abetter place, but all I can think of is how I’ll be leaving here. I’m going tomiss this place.” And then, quieter, “I’m going to miss you.”

“I’m going to miss youmore,” you say, and then cut yourself off from blubbering out yourfeelings. You feel tears pricking at the edges of your eyes. “Wait, stop, butwhat do you mean a better place? Where are you going? W-What’s goingon?”

“I don’t really knoweither,” Yoongi confesses. “All I know is that the first thing they told meafter my Birthing was that my days were numbered. Starting from 31. I thoughtthat everyone else was the same so I didn’t mention it… But I guess not.”

You’re suddenly hitwith flashbacks of the Doctors in their white coats and their hushedconversations. The frequent clinic visits Yoongi had to attend and the way theCaretakers always made him special meals. The discarded newspaper clipping.Signs, so many signs, the small things you overlooked now becoming astronomicaland pointing straight at a single explanation you absolutely cannot bear.

“Yoongi, you’re–”you can’t bring yourself to say it, because then you’d be acknowledging thetruth and admitting that it’s real. “You’re–” You feel a bit of bile rising tothe back of your throat because the very thought of what’s going tohappen to him makes you feel disgusted.

“I’m?” He looks soinnocent, just staring at you like that, expectant. As if what you’re trying totell him isn’t going to turn his world upside down and show him just howapathetic and ugly the world really is. “What is it? What am I?” Now he looksdesperate, pleading for an answer, an identity that extends beyond his barepurpose.

“You’re a Harvesthuman.” You choke the words out, hating every syllable, hating that you’resaying them to him, to Yoongi, the clueless boy who deserves morethan 31 days to live. “You know what those are, right? We read about them inthat newspaper. And I heard the Doctors talking about them.” About you.

He sighs and looksas tired as ever, as if he was expecting a truth like this all along. “So I wasmade with the sole purpose of giving my organs to others, huh? I’d suspectedsomething of the sort from the beginning, but I was scared. I didn’t want it tobe true. But after reading that news article… It really got me thinking. Thisonly confirmed it. I’m sorry.” He looks at you forlornly and apologetically,and all you can do is stare and try not to look so hurt. He turns away. “Still,it’s a pretty altruistic way to die, if you ask me. I mea–”

“But Yoongi–”

“I know,” he says,running a hand through his hair. He drops the stick. “It’s cruel, really, togive me a taste of life for but a month. Raising us all like animals, deciding ourfates and purpose for us. But there’s not much else that I can do at thispoint, is there?”

“Wh–but–you can’tjust give up!” you splutter, head spinning. All of this is too much,coming at you too fast. “You’re just going to let them do this to you? Treatingyou like a tool?”

He looks away andsettles down onto the dirt. “You know, I used to think a lot about us.Artificial humans. What our purpose is. I mean, why have the artificial stuffwhen you can make the real thing, you know?

“From the moment ofour Conceiving until our Releasing, we are made to serve. Our fates anddestinies are predetermined, whether it be a Servant, Sweeper, or whatever.Harvest humans, I guess people will think of me and think I got the short endof the stick. I mean, think about it. We only get a month’s time to live,understand life, as our bodies acclimate to the environment and the Doctorsprepare us for Harvesting.

“Still, I’d donesome thinking, about the pros and cons of each type. And, well, Harvest typesaren’t so bad, I guess. I mean, in a sense we keep on living, keep on giving.My organs will provide life to another soul in need, who will in turn give lifeto others. I become so much more. Do you see what I’m saying? I’m not dead; I’msimply continuing life through others. I keep on living. My lifespanextends far beyond the 31 days I was given.”

“No, no,” you say.“No, you can’t… You can’t…” Yoongi is leaving. Yoongi is going to be gone forever.You’ve had a life without him before, but now that you’ve experienced what it’slike to have someone this close to heart, it’s nearly impossible to imaginelife without Yoongi. The days would be bland, life meaningless.

“Yoongi,” you sob.“Please… don’t….”

“I’m sorry. I can’tcontrol it. You know it, I know it.” Yoongi gives a sad smile. “I love you. AndI’ll miss you.”