I hear an announcement that I have to go to testing. I get up and I leave my room. I go to the lounge and get into the transporter.

In the transporter, there is something with a bunch of words on it. The words are "Lounge," "Mess Hall," "Testing."

I touch testing. The transporter starts to move and then slow down. I exit.

"What is your number?" someone asks me.

"9536," I reply.

They open the door to testing for me.

"Follow me," the scientist says.

I follow her to a room.

"I will be taking your bandages off," she tells me.

"Understood."

She takes my bandages off.

"There. You can go back to your room."

"Wait," she says handing me a purple drink.

I take it from her and drink it. I then lay down.

"End program," she says.

"Get up. You can go back to your room," she tells me.

"Understood."

I take the transporter back to the lounge. I then walk back to my room. I sit down on the chair this time, doing nothing.

Eventually I hear an announcement that it is time for meal 3.

I get up and leave the room. I walk to the lounge and follow people that are walking over to the transporter. I notice that there are more transporters near that one. I go into an empty one and touch something that says Mess Hall. Soon I arrive at a place where a few people are walking to a room and I can hear many people talking inside. I walk into that room, as I assume it is the Mess Hall.

This looks just like the Mess Hall I would go to with the scientist, with the exception that there are many people here.

I receive my meal from a counter and look for a place to sit. I end up sitting at a table near the counter that has an open seat at the end.

"Hello," I say to the person next to me.

"Hello," they reply.

"Could we be friends?"

"Friends? NO WAY!"

"Why?"

"Sure. We can be friends. Of course we can," they say.

"Yay!"

She gives me a weird look.

"Yeah, whatever."

I continue to eat my food, thinking about the fact that I just made my first friend since I got my own room.

I hear an announcement that everyone has go to the lounge.

I copy what others are doing with their trays-putting it with a bunch of other trays one on top of the other.

I walk out of the Mess Hall and take a transporter to the lounge.

I look for my new friend, but I don't see them.

Where are they?

I decide to sit down on one of the chairs.

"Hello," someone says to me.

"Hello," I reply.

"Are you new?" they ask.

"Am I... new?"

"How long have you been here?"

"I have been here since today."

"Then you are new."

"Oh."

"Will you be my friend?"

"Yes."

"Then what do you want to do friend?"

"I don't know."

"Let's just talk."

"Understood."

"How are you?"

"I am good. What about you."

"I am well. I want to get to know you more. What is your favorite color?"

"My favorite color is purple."

"My favorite color is purple as well."

"Oh."

"Do you like the lounge?" she asks me.

"Yes."

"Do you like playing games in the lounge?"

"What is that?"

"You know... playing games?"

"I don't understand."

"Oh. I'll show you the games sometime."

"Alright."

"Alright," I say.

"Have you made any friends?"

"Yes. I have made friends with 4 people."

"You still want to be friends?"

"Yes."

Yay! I made another friend!

"Well friend, should we meet up here next time we have lounge time?"

"We still have lounge time."

"I'm just thinking ahead."

"Oh."

"So, do you want to meet up at these chairs during our next lounge time?"

"Yes."

"Alright."

"I've been having fun talking to you."

"I have as well, friend. Do you like it here?"

"I really don't know."

I hear an announcement that we all have to report to our rooms.

"Bye," my friend says.

"Bye."

We both walk to our rooms. While I am in my room, I think about the fact that I have made two friends today. I now have five friends!

I lay down on the bed and fall asleep.

I wake up to an announcement saying that we all have to get up. I slowly get up and get ready for the day. After I am finished I hear an announcement that we all have to go to meal 1. I go to meal 1, and get there quicker as I know where the Mess Hall is now.

After I get my meal, I sit down at the first seat I see.

I leisurely eat my food without talking to anyone. The people at the table I am sitting at are silent as well.

I am happy once meal 1 ends, as I will get to talk to my friend. I quickly leave the room and go to the chair where we said that we would meet up, and I wait.

"Hello. Were you waiting long?" My friend asks me when she arrives minutes later.

"Hello. No."

"You weren't waiting long?"

"No."

"Good. I was worried that I had taken too long to get here."

"Why?"

"I wouldn't want to keep you waiting?"

"Oh."

"What do you want to do?" she asks.

"Do you want to talk?"

"Sure."

"Alright."

"What do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know."

"There is nothing to talk about, is there?"

"There isn't?"

"I can't think of anything."

"What is your favorite color?"

"It is purple, remember?"

"It is?"

"Yes, it is."

"When did you say that?"

"Last night."

"I remember don't remember."

"Huh?"

"What?"

"That doesn't make sense."

"It doesn't?"

"No."

"Oh."

I hear myself being called to go to testing.

"I have to go," I say walking off.

"Bye."

"Bye."

I get into the transporter and take it to testing.

"What is your number?" someone asks me.

"Number?"

"Yes, your number. I can't let you in if you don't tell me."

"What is my number?"

"What is your number?" the man asks me again.

"I don't know what my number is. I was told to go to testing."

"Then I'm afraid I can't let you in."

"I was told to go to testing."

"Go back to where you came from, little one."

"Little one?"

"Yeah, you're young. You look around 8 to 10."

"I don't understand."

"Doesn't matter. Just go!"

I don't know what to do. I was told to go to testing, but I am being told to go back to the lounge.

"If you don't know your number, then go," he says.

"Error: Unable to complete your command."

"Error: Unable to complete your command," I say.

"Go back," he says to me.

"Back where?" I ask.

"To where you came from."

The door to testing opens. I see that it is the scientist, so I run over to her. Before I can reach her the man stops me.

"Silence words," the scientist says.

"I understand," says the man.

I follow the scientist into testing.

"There was a man out there," I tell her.

"I know."

"He wouldn't let me in."

"Really? What happened?"

"He asked me for my number. I said I don't know. He wouldn't let me in."

"I'll make sure it doesn't happen again."

"How did I get in last time?"

"I was... waiting outside the door to testing. Remember?"

"No."

"You don't?"

"No."

"I see. That's alright, you forgot.

"I forgot?"

"Yes. You don't remember."

"Oh."

We walk into one of the testing rooms. She hands me the usual purple drink. I take it and lay down.

"End program."

"Get up," she says to me and I get up.

"Your number is 10652. You should listen to the announcements, because your number might be called."

"And what happens if I hear my number on an announcement?"

"You go to where you are told to go."

"I think I understand."

"Good. You may go back now."

I leave the room and exit testing. I take a transporter back to the lounge.

When I arrive at the lounge, I don't see my friend. We didn't talk about when we would meet next.

I sit down in a chair, because I have nothing else to do.

Soon after I sit down, I hear an announcement that we have to go to the Mess Hall for meal 2. I get up from the chair I am sitting in and I go to a transporter. I get in and I take it to the Mess Hall.

After I have gotten my meal, I look for a place to sit. I end up sitting next to the friend I made last night at the Mess Hall.

"Hello," I say sitting next to her.

"Hello," she replies.

"Do you want to talk?" I ask.

"Fine."

"What do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know. What do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know."

"Why don't you think of something?"

"What is your favorite color?"

"Pink."

"Mine is purple and light blue."

"Nice."

"What do you like to do?"

"I like being in the lounge."

"I like being in the lounge as well," I say.

"What do you like to do in the longue?"

"Talking with other people."

"What about playing games?"

"Games?"

"You know... games."

"I don't understand."

"Don't tell me you don't know what games are."

"I don't understand."

"Do you know what games are?"

"Someone mentioned them to me."

"You've never played a game then?"

"No."

"We will play a game after this meal then."

"I don't know how to play a game."

"I'll teach you, of course."

"You will?"

"Yeah, duh."

"Oh."

"So, why haven't you played a game before?" she asks me.

"I'm new."

"You're new? That makes sense then."

"Yeah. Wait, how new are you?"

"How new am I?"

"When did you get here?"

"Yesterday."

"Then you're really new. Let me guess, I'm your only friend?"

"I've made other friends."

"Really? Who?"

"One of them had theories. He asked if I wanted to be friends, and after I said yes he said I was his only friend. The other friend I made last night. I talked with them a little last night, and we talked today. We talked about our favorite colors."

"I see you have plenty of friends already."

"I guess I do."

"I'd say you're doing pretty good, friend wise."

"I am?"

"Yeah. You're actually doing really well. Keep it up and you will be friends with everyone. That is if you continue to make friends at the same rate."

"What if I don't make any more friends?"

"Of course, that's alright."

"Oh," I say even though I don't fully understand.

When we finish our meals, the second meal is ending so we get up and put our trays with all of the other trays. We leave the Mess Hall.

"I'll meet you in the lounge," she says to me.

We both get into different transporters and take them to the lounge.

"Hello," I say once I see her after I have gotten out of the transporter.

"Hello," she replies.

"I was wondering why you said no way at first when I asked if I could be your friend."

"I was trying to be funny. I guess it didn't turn out the way I hoped."

"Oh."

"Anyway, I'm going to teach you how to play a game."

"Alright."

"I'll show you some of the game's first."

My friend shows me a few games. After she has shown me a few, we are all told to go to testing.

"I guess we can continue this later," she tells me.

"Alright."

Everyone gets into transporters and goes to testing. When I arrive outside of testing, I have to wait for a little bit because there are a few other people here and other people are coming in.

"What is your number?" the protector asks once it is my turn.

"10652," I reply.

He looks at something and then lets me in.

Once I get in, I see the scientist waiting for me.

"A few of the transporters don't go to testing," she says as we are walking.

"Why?"

"It cuts down on traffic."

"How?"

"There are less people waiting to get in at a time."

"I think I understand."

We arrive at a testing room and we walk in. She gets a purple drink from the cabinet and hands it to me. I drink it and then lay down.

"End program," she says.

"Get up. You can go back to the lounge," she says to me.

I get up. I leave the room and I walk out of testing. To my surprise, there are a few other people doing the same.

When I arrive at testing I notice my friend right away.

"Hello!" I say going over to her.

"Hello," she replies.

"Should I teach you how to play a game?" she asks.

"Yes."

"How about this one?" she asks, showing me a game.

"Yes."

She then shows me how I learn to play a game-I have to listen the directions.

"The scientist told me that a few of the transporters don't go to testing," I say.

"Yeah. It cuts down on traffic so there aren't so many people trying to get in at once," she says.

"Oh. Why would they want that?"

"So there aren't too many people trying to get into testing at once. Let's play this game."

We start to play the game. It is an easy game, the other person starts to describe something and we have to guess what it is.

After we finish several rounds I say, "This game is fun."

"It is...." she says.

We sit in silence for a while until my friend says, "You are an idiot."

AN: I was planning for this chapter to end differently. I decided to end it where it is... for reasons that will be explained in the next author's note.