The Conversion

by DK Andrews

to tell him the truth about what I am.

  “Sorry. It looked like them,” he said. “Come, let’s go and sit on the hill over there. It gives us a great view of the harbor, plus we’ll be able to spot Nicole and Sophie a lot easier.”

  When we reach the top, Gabriel sits down next to me. I cringe inside, wishing I could curl up into a ball like a hedgehog. He is sitting too close. I close my eyes and tell myself that he just wants to sit, that he’s not out to get me.

  “So, tell me your story, Alina.” Gabriel turns his eyes on me.

  I rehearse what I might say in my head: From the beginning of my life, I was unwanted. Through 18 years, I had to go through the hardship of domestic violence, abuse, and a brutal rape. I’m just full of sadness, pain, and regret. The only way out from my sadness and uneasiness was the opportunity to sell my life. And here I am, sitting next to you, casually chatting. But of course, I can’t say that.“You first,” I say instead, hitting the ball back into his court.

  “You really want to know?”

  “I do,” I say, though I admit his question has me nervous.

  “OK. Well, let’s say that I had everything that any boy my age would ever want and more, you know?”

  I don’t know, but nod.

  “Until one day, everything disappeared—absolutely everything. Darkness was all there was.”Gabriel sighs and looks off into the distance.“I was a real unappreciative piece of shit. You know, one of those rich, arrogant and ignorant assholes who flash their parent's money and bully people?”

  “Oh, do I know them!” I say with wide open eyes. “I had to face people like that in my high school all the time. We had a lot of bullies—cruel ones too—but they weren’t rich. I was awkward and quiet, didn’t talk much, and couldn’t stand up for myself. There was a lot of cyber bullying as especially after one incident, but I don’t want to talk about it. It was tough.” I swallow the lump in my throat; I hate thinking about that time, especially given that right now I’m supposed to be reliving those horrible memories.

  “Oh, Alina,” Gabriel says, his eyes full of genuine sadness. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that. It must have been tough.”

  “It’s all in the past,” I say.

  “Nonsense. Bullying probably left a mark in your heart,” Gabriel says.“I was such an asshole in high school; I sure hurt a lot of people. I hate myself for that, I do. But I’ve been punished for it, believe me…” He tears a handful of grass from the ground.“I thought it was the end. I had accepted death. I was ready to look it in the face. Until—” he stops his speaking abruptly.

  “What?” I ask.“What until what?”

  “Let me start at the beginning.” It was clear he needed to talk.“I was always spoiled; I got everything I wanted from my parents. It was easy to manipulate them, and I did it very well. I feel bad about it now. They went through some misfortunes. I was tolerable until I hit puberty—that’s when I completely lost my head. I refused to take responsibility for my actions; I would disrespect and humiliate people at the drop of a hat. Bullying, lying, taking advantage of everyone and everything became my life. And I surrounded myself with people just like me: worthless and empty…” He looks away, trying to hide his eyes from the shining sun.“I used girls, too. Lied to them, pretended I cared, and when I got what I wanted I would be gone in an instant.”

  “So I can’t trust you?”

  “I’ve changed. My illness changed me. In some ways, it made me a better person.”

  I can sense the sincerity in his words, in his eyes.

  “As soon as I got sick, all my so-called friends disappeared, and my bimbo girlfriend was gone in the blink of an eye. Only my parents are helping me to get through this. I have to admit, it’s a little sad not to have any real friends.” He sighs.

  “How did you get sick?” I ask.

  “It’s ironic, actually. In this day and age, we rely on technology for everything. Even now, here we are, sitting and talking in a virtual system, waiting for new life to be received.”

  “Well, if not for technological advancement, you’d probably have been dead by now,” I say.

  “True, but it’s because of technology I fell ill.

  Have you heard of the Salus machine?”

  “I think I saw ads for it on TV; it’s that machine that detects any dangers to your body or your predisposition to any kind of cancer or any other lethal illnesses, right? Did you have one?”

  “Yes, unfortunately. I did. My parents took every precaution to prevent me from getting sick.”

  “How does it work?” I ask, genuinely curious.

  “It’s like a fancy sensor installed in the bathroom. Every morning it collects data from my blood, my breath, and my urine, and then analyses and interprets it, then reporting if there are any threats to my body.”

  “Sounds fascinating.”

  “In theory, it is.” Gabriel looks down. “I thought I was invincible; I thought everything would work out for me. My parents have money; I have this machine that will look after my health.”

  “So what happened?” I ask.

  “The inevitable happened. I passed out during a football practice. I was rushed to the hospital right away. It turned out I had terminal cancer, and it’s not operable. My parents and I were devastated. There were warning signs before my diagnosis, but I ignored them. Hell, I have a Salus! It should’ve told me if there is anything wrong with me, right?”

  “Right.”

  “If I had run to the doctor the first time I knew something wasn’t right, maybe I would still have had a chance for survival, but I trusted the machine too much. After my diagnosis, we tested my Salus, and it turned out that it had been broken for a year and a half, hence the lack of warnings.” Gabriel sighs. “It definitely taught me few lessons. One is that you can’t let technology run your life. Even now, my parents and I are relying on the fact that the Conversion will work out and I’ll receive a new life—that I’ll live happily ever after. There are no guarantees it will work, but my family doesn’t have a choice but to believe it will.”

  We sit in silence for a few moments, both immersed in thought. I think it’s time for me to tell him that I’m not going to be receiving a new life at all, but had in reality sold mine. But he speaks first.“I hope the Conversion works. Like I said, I was ready to die, I’d sealed my fate, I was prepared for it. But then…” Gabriel gives me a look.

  “Then what?”

  “Then I met you.”

  “How can you say that?” I can’t believe it. “We’ve only known each other for an hour!”

  “It doesn’t matter how long we’ve known each other,” Gabriel says, “I know I like spending time with you and I feel like I shouldn’t give up on us now. I want to hope for the best, hope that the Conversion works—for both of us—and that we can meet again in the real world.” He turns to look at me.“When I woke up today, I felt like fighting for or the first time since my diagnosis. I felt alive. I just know it will work out. There is no doubt in my mind.”

  I don’t have the emotional strength to open up to him right now. He’s so happy, I can’t bring him down.

  “If you’re dying of cancer, how is it you look so good?” That came out wrong. I meant healthy. Hopefully, he doesn’t take it the wrong way.

  “Well, it’s all part of the preparation process, right?” he says with a smile. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”

  “Right.” I bite my lip, embarrassed. Somehow, I need to get him to tell me more without raising any suspicion that I’m not a Receiver.

  “You know, it’s all part of creating a desirable future for yourself like they tell you,” he says.

  “I see,” I said, though of course, I didn’t. I only wish I knew what he meant. Why am I even trying to cover up the fact that I’m a Dator? I want to open up to him, but I don’t know if I can trust him.

  “When I’m connected to Mentior,” he explains, “I can control how I look and what I wear and so on. When I first met y
ou, I was contemplating my studies at the University. At first, I assumed you weren’t real, just the creation of the Mentior, but now I know you are as real as me.”

  I’m deep in thought, trying to process everything. Finally, I ask, “Gabriel, don’t you think it’s weird how we all met, even though we weren’t supposed to?”

  “Who said we weren’t supposed to meet?”

  “You think we were?” I stutter, and my eyes open wide in surprise.

  “My doctor never mentioned it, but if we’re contemplating the same future and getting our minds and souls ready for new lives, then why wouldn’t we meet? I mean, aren’t we all waiting to receive a new life?” Gabriel asks.

  “Not quite,” I say, looking away.

  “What do you mean? I thought you said you were a Receiver.”

  “Oh,” I say, not wanting to admit anything just yet, “I was talking about Nicole.”

  “She’s not a Receiver?” Gabriel asks, shocked.

  “She sold her life,” I say plainly.

  “She did?”

  “Yes, she did. She told me about it.”

  “Why in the world would she do that? Why would anyone want to sell their life? People don’t understand how precious life is.”

  “People have their reasons,” I say, fighting the sinking feeling in my stomach.“And if no one sold their life, then you wouldn’t have gotten a second chance.”

  “I guess so,” Gabriel says. “So what was Nicole’s reason?”

  “She lost everything that mattered to her.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She lost her family,