Life Changer - Personal Essay

I walked into a building. “Life changer” these two words hung on the signboard. The building was found in a disturbing place in Beverly Hills, run by a mysterious figure. “This is my only hope for me to save my brother,” I told myself.

Life Changer is a place where teens rent their bodies to the old – seniors who want to be young again. Do I not have parents? I lost my parents during the war, leaving me with only my brother, Max who has a life threatening life disease, and my good friend, Sam. We fight with others, even those we know, just for a cookie. Life is tough, we cannot trust anybody, only ourselves.

The war was called the Wiper that is a disease. To survive the war, only the young and the old will be given a vaccination as it had been said that these people are the weakest. Due to the lack of vaccination available, the others have died, just by coming into contact with it, within a week after the war. Those under the age of twenty are prohibited from working, thus here we are, living in a torn-down building. Only the fortunate children with rich grandparents are able to live such a luxurious life.

        An Elder, as they preferred to call themselves, extended his hand. I forced myself to shake his wrinkled hand. He offered me food and water; food I have never tasted in a long time and water, never so refreshing in my entire life. He explained to me that he wants to see what I skills I have before he will offer me a price for three rentals. When I told him I knew archery, fencing, swimming and shooting, he raised one brow, with a curious look on his face, he asked, “How do you know how to shoot?”

        I explained that my dad knew about guns as he was in the Science Corps, and he had trained me. He wanted to see how good I was in all the skills I had mentioned. To test my last skill, he brought me to a shooting range and I impressed not only him, but the Range Master and other Elders who stopped their practice to watch me hit the same spot every time.

        He offered me enough money to pay for an apartment for a couple of years and to bribe an adult to sign the lease for us. I immediately accepted his offer. Being a donor, I would have to insert a chip into my head. Getting ready for my first rental, they put me to sleep, they said when I opened my eyes, my first rental would be over.