The Perfection Trials

“They’re not exactly planned, and they’re dealt with immediately.” Michael smiled. “Your case workers won’t let anything happen you while you’re in this facility.”

“You seem to have a lot of faith in them.”

“They haven’t given me a reason not to be.”

“And Emily is also your caseworker?” Sadie asked. It was too early to remember details.

Michael shook his head. “No, actually. I have Duncan.”

Alex cocked their head to the side. “How many caseworkers are there?”

Sadie wanted to know, too. “Yeah. And how many participants does each one have?”

“Each participant just has one caseworker, and there’s twenty on the site. Emily, Meyer, Duncan. Most of them have been working for the trials since the beginning.”

“So, each caseworker has almost twenty participants?”

“That’s insane,” Sadie muttered. “…I can’t imagine Meyer managing more than like… two. Maaaaaybe.”

Michael chuckled. “Oh, don’t count him out. You’d be surprised.”

“I couldn’t imagine Emily having twenty participants. How does she not scare at least some of them off?” Alex fidgeted with xer fingers.

“Emily’s our newest caseworker. She joined about eleven months ago.”

“… right after she ‘graduated’ or whatever?”

“Graduated? As in the trials?” Michael hummed. “Did Emily go through the trials?” He shrugged. “I suppose she could have. She hasn’t mentioned it to me before. Then again, I don’t speak to her very often.”

“Is it not public information?”

“You don’t?” Sadie furrowed her brow. “She’s like, constantly breathing down our necks.”

“She’s Alex’s caseworker.” Michael gestured towards them. “She wouldn’t be a good caseworker if she wasn’t on top of things. But Emily has only contacted me asking about mentorship. Other than that, I speak primarily to Duncan.”

“So, the caseworkers are pretty isolated then.” Alex hummed. “That’s odd…”

“They’re busy is all.”

“So where’s Duncan now?”

“Most likely in their office. If not, then with another participant.” Michael checked the clock on the wall. “But we should start the tour. Everything here runs on a tight schedule.”

“Alright.” Sadie shrugged and finished off her coffee then set her mug down.

Michael grinned. “Perfect! Follow me, then!” He held the door open and gestured them through.