Free The Perfect World (The Perfect World Series Book 1) by Katalina Gerard Page B

always.
    “Good morning, class,” she spoke with her usual sickening sweetness.
    “Good morning, Ms. Amelia.”
    “Now, yesterday we learned some new vocabulary words, didn’t we?” Her big, dull eyes were on all of them now, watching them nod. “Say, ‘Yes, Ms. Amelia.’”
    “Yes, Ms. Amelia.”
    “Of course you did. However, there should be one word that you learned today that is the subject of today’s lesson. That word is ‘sick.’”
    The squeaky whiteboard marker made its marks and formed the word on the board.
    “This word has been around since Uncivilized Times, but the Experts of our Enlightened Society have given it a better definition. You see, the experts discovered that the idea that any one person was better than another was part of a serious mental illness, which is a problem with a person’s brain.” She put a finger in the middle of her forehead to show where the brain was.
    “They were suffering from illusions of grandeur, which means that they imagined themselves to be better than other people. The experts diagnosed the problem and decided that the only cure was to catch the symptoms early and isolate the problem before it could spread. After all, we have to take account of the feelings of even the very sick. We must use our understanding of our own equality and make it known to them what they should be thinking. People do need to be taught what to think, especially those who are sick.”
    Ms. Amelia began writing a few words and phrases down on the board and then told them to repeat it. She praised them every time they did it. Just like she did every lesson. Cyrus soon grew tired of the praise and her squeaky whiteboard pen. He was filled with the sudden urge to snap it.              
    “Very good! Oh, you all learn so fast.” The squeaking stopped with her praise, and the pen was capped. Cyrus inwardly sighed in relief.
    “Now, we’re going to talk about something really scary.” She elongated the last two words to emphasize them. “Are you ready class? Nod your heads for me.”
    They all did.
    “There’s something scary that happened in Uncivilized Times, something that’s still with us today. I’m only going to do this once because I believe it’s important for you to know.”
    Ms. Amelia walked resolutely over to the drawn curtains. She went to the pulley and drew them back. She revealed a grass lawn outside the window, covered by a tall brick wall. Above that, was the wall of the Quarantine Dome that Cyrus was looking at yesterday.
    “Can everyone see this?” she asked as she pointed to the wall that rose high above the sky. Everyone nodded without being told this time, and she grimaced. “This is something that is left over from Uncivilized Times. It’s what happens when we have to use extreme measures.”
    “Unfortunately, some people get incredibly sick and cannot see our way of thinking. They were not born with the ability to reason properly, to accept the equality of others as well as the equality of themselves. They could never live properly in our fair society. They would certainly hurt the feelings of others, which is something we must avoid at all costs. Thus, we make the only choice we can. We have to quarantine them. We remove them from our society permanently. We send them to these Quarantine Domes,” she gestured towards the glowing wall, “for the good of us all.”
    “Now, children, you must listen to this! Those domes are very dangerous, and if you ever go near them, you may become very, very sick. Then, you will become uncivilized, and we will have to take care of you. If you are not able to be cured, then you will have to be placed inside the quarantine dome. Does everyone understand?”
    All the children nodded. Some of them looked at their teacher with wide-eyed fear. Some looked at her with confusion, mixed with trust. Fewer still looked at her with disbelief. Cyrus and Scott were two of the few.
    “I can’t press enough how