The Lost Generation 2
2
Closing his bedroom door, he stopped and looked at himself in the mirror that hung on the back. He did this every morning and was never quite sure if he liked what he saw. It changed every day, really. Today he decided he looked OK. His thick brown hair had remained in the tousled quiff he'd set it in that morning, his brown eyes did not look quite so tired and the shave this morning had defined his masculine jawline. He raised his shirt a little with his spare hand to show himself his flat stomach, lightly furred above the waistband of his underwear. He frowned. He needed to work harder at toning that up; he was getting fat. Luke took his top off at every opportunity just because he had a bit of definition in his abs. Dick.
Sitting down at his desk, Sam started with the Information Booklet that stated on its cover "READ BEFORE BEGINNING YOUR QUESTIONNAIRE", thinking it might be his first opportunity to glean some information about the mysterious Government scheme that had blighted his developmental teenage years, robbing him of friends and hanging over him like a death sentence.
Instead he found it to be a weak, derisory two-page spread giving no indication of what awaited he and his brother during and after their inductions. It was stern and patronising, insisting that he read every question in the Pack at least twice, demanded he made sure he was answering it as honestly as possible and reminding him that discussing the content of the Pack or his personal answers was against the law and punishable by a jury of peers. He scoffed at the last. Apart from one incredibly personal and private instruction, there was no way was he not going to talk to Luke about this, and anyway, they'd never even know.
Feeling a little more settled, he started on the huge questionnaire. It began easily, asking his birthday, employment history, education history and such but soon grew into requiring 200-word answers on his sexual experience, 500-word explanations of when and how he went above-and-beyond in life and detailed descriptions of dreams and fears and stuff.
As he was scrawling an abstract answer to Question 749, 'Why do you identify as a man?' the door slammed downstairs and a voice yelled his name.
"Yeah, up here Luke," he replied, rising and dashing downstairs to greet his twin.
"Hey, um... Our letters came..." he said quietly, nodding at the table while Luke shrugged off his coat.
"Oh my god, seriously? That's brilliant!" Luke beamed, snatching the envelope and opening it.
""Dear Luke.......... nationwide PR programme....... future generations............ Registration Pack.........." Oh my God! Seventeenth of May! That's not long - awesome!" he gushed, grinning at his less-impressed twin.
"I know," Sam said. "Great(!)"
"Ah come on! It won't be that bad! We don't even know what it is! Hey, they could be sending us all off to a desert island, where we get to fuck all the girls - maybe we're the only saviours of humankind and they're trying to save us!" Luke continued, smiling and jovially jabbing his brother.
"Yeah, or maybe they're gonna take us out the back and shoot us," Sam retorted, "It says Population REDUCTION programme, you div."
"Ah shut up! As if! No Government would sanction, like... Murdering its own people! Anyway, whatever, we'll find out soon anyway!"
Sam could only shrug in response. "Suppose."
"Hey, let me see your Pack when you've finished it, yeah?"
Luke looked up from the Information Booklet he was devouring and tutted, "Don't think so, bro! This leaflet here says it's illegal to share information with anyone, even family. Are you asking me to break the law for you? You rebel! I'm telling Mum!"
Sam rolled his eyes. "Come on you dick, we're twins, course we're gonna share!" he urged.
"Nope. No way, Sam," Luke insisted. "I'm not risking fucking up whatever I'm going to just cos you wanna cheat your answers or whatever, no way! Sorry bro!"
And with that, he gathered his letter and the Pack, grabbed a drink from the fridge and bounded upstairs.
Sam followed, severely pissed off, and slammed his bedroom door shut. This wasn't fair. He and Luke had always shared everything. Why should now be any different!?