Dream: Reprogramming

Date: 12/5/2016

I don't remember too much. I was a young trans-male. Physically a woman, mentally a male. I had awoken in a room full of bright lights. I blinked and looked around but saw no one for a long time. I was wearing a thin white tank top and shorts. Nothing else. My body was sore as I tried to sit up and get my bearings. I blinked again and closed my eyes. I rolled on my side and nearly screamed as pain shot through me. I bit down on my lip and slowly got up to my feet, barely managing. I opened my eyes again and the lights were dimmer as a young man, wearing similar clothing to mine, held a hand out to me. "Are you okay?" he asked but I could barely make out those words. I reached my hand to grab his but it soon went dark. I awoke again. Now in a bed. The young man from before was sitting beside me. Watching me. He looked over as I got up and then away. I followed his gaze to see a doorway and a woman standing in it. "Come with me." she said as i fell into darkness again. "Wake up!" someone shouted and I awoke with a start. I had a long black skirt on and a black tank top with a white button-up. I was sitting in a chair and being held up by a different young man. His eyes were a faded gray and his skin was ghostly pale. He placed a hand to my forehead as if checking my temperature. "Not good. She's got a fever. We'll need to start over if this keeps up." the young man said. It was then that I noticed the lab coat he wore and the name tag attached to it. However, I couldn't make out the name. "She'll be fine doc. I'll make sure of it." the woman from before said and helped me up. She led me away, down halls and up some stairs. More halls. Then we headed into the room where the bed from before was. On the bed was the young man from before. He seemed to be asleep. Long, dark hair in a mess. "Garrett. What the hell are you doing?!" the woman shouted. The man opened his eyes to reveal a piercing, steel-gray gaze. "I told you she needed rest." Garrett told the woman. "She needs to play her part. Watch over her and make sure she gets better." the woman said and pushed me into the room before shutting the door. I heard a click as it locked and looked around me. "Where am I?" "You really don't remember?" the young man sat up and stared me down. "No I don't. I was at my home but then I awoke in a white room in pain. Then this room. A chair -" "They put you in the chair?" his voice was low and deadly now. "Yes. Some doctor was examining me." I felt chills go down my spine. Garrett grit his teeth and shook his head. "This place is an institute for people who are...different. That's what they tell us anyway. They try to 'reprogram' our brains so we'll become normal. You'll choose to be more like a woman. I'll choose to worship a Christian or Catholic God instead of my pagan ones. Once we're fixed we can go back to our families. Everyone lives happily ever after." "And if we don’t get fixed?" I asked him. "You come back here and they start over. This is my 3rd run." Garrett told me. "Your 4th. You're the one who taught me all of this." More shivers as I nodded. Memories of this place, the exam chair of electroshock therapy, Garrett himself. All of it flooded and i felt myself stumble forward. Garrett held a hand out to me and i took it. "We'll get out together this time my friend. I promise." I whispered. Garrett gave my hand a light squeeze. "Alright. We'll play our parts till we get out. For now, rest." He helped me onto the bed and I drifted asleep under his watchful gaze. Then i awoke from the dream.