I grab my coat and catch a quick glimpse of myself in the mirror while I put it on. My face is round and pale. I have big brown eyes, a small straight nose and plump lips. My long black hair reaches to my elbows making me look prettier than I actually am. I look a lot like my mum only she had shorter hair in the pictures that are on the walls in the passage. I put my hair in a high ponytail and run out the door towards the big building about 800 metres away. I really need to sign up at the gym!
I'm out of breath when I stumble into the door. There's people to my left, dressed in all black suits, the officials, sorting out goods into crates for each house.
We don't get to choose what food we get but it's always nice food so I don't complain. I run into the hall and luckily everyone is still standing around socializing. I look around and search for the only person I can have human conversation with, Dina. Dina and I have been friends since we met in Grade 1 at school. We were 8 then and now we're almost 18 ready to graduate in a few weeks and choose our jobs. Or in my case, get chosen. I see her standing with Hayley and Josh.
Because of our small population there's only 4 or 5 students per grade and in our grade it's just Dina, Hayley, Josh and I. I walk towards them and greet each one with a hug.
"So you ready to graduate and chose a job?" Dina asks with a giggle.
I know she's pulling my leg so I laugh and reply,
"You know I really want to be want to be chosen to be a government official".
"If anyone one of us were to be chosen it would definitely be you Ally so I wouldn't worry" Hayley says before she goes to the other side of the hall to sit by her family.
Josh laughs and says,
"Yeah it's definitely you this year! I want to work at the wall with my brother. Nothing happens at the wall. They don't even get to see over the wall. So they just spend their days lazing around".
Hershell is surrounded by a thin tall wall about 20 metres high. None of us have seen what's beyond the wall. Not even the patrols who spend their days guarding them. They told us it's to keep bad things out. Maybe it's there to keep us in.
"That's definitely something you're excellent at doing!" I tease as we walk towards our seats.
Josh sits further back with his parents and older brother. Dina and I sit in the middle next to her mother. Dina's father died 7 years ago so it's just her and her mother but I always tag along as part of their family. I wave to Aunt Sam and her little brats then turn to listen to Triston.
Triston is the leader of the government officials. We call him by his first name because he insists on it and also because Mr Douglas doesn't suit him at all considering he's only 28. I look up at the population counter on the wall it's changed from 195 to 197? That's odd. I look down and try to catch on to what Triston is saying...
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YOU ARE READING
The System
Science FictionAlannah finds out the life she's been living is a complete lie. She's trapped in one of many biological programmes and her memories have been replaced with a life she thinks is hers. The programmes are controlled by The System. They are a small team...
