The Pariah

Moral

Chapter 2
Lucas opened the door to reveal the bright light of the sun outside. For a moment the natural sunlight was blinding, then it seemed to welcome me outside. I could feel the warmth on my shoulders and down my arms.
Lucas and I bounced down the steps and into the long dirt road that lead to the center of our tract.

As we walked I saw more and more people start to emerge for their houses, they filled the street. There were men, women and even little kids each showing at least one triangular scar. They all walked in a swift motion, like robots following a pattern and kicked up dust from the dry roads. They acted like they had no mind of there own, but it was only for today, it was only for the inspection. I walked the same as the rest of them and tried to sneak bites of my apple as we walked.
I looked to my left and could see a few of my friends walking with their families, their heads down like mine. They were not really my friends more like people that I knew and maybe had a conversation with once or twice. I was never one to be social and the only time we were allowed to see other people was the two hours we had after school and before curfew.
Today was different, it was my first inspection as a sixteen year old and now I would be stated as part of the society. Yesterday had been my last day of school, my last day of education. It was my last time in the tall white building in the center of our tract. Now I would be presented before my tract and before our government Moral as an adult with all the others in my class. I could feel the queasy knots beginning to form in my stomach.We had to walk about a mile to get to the square. I saw clumps of once black asphalt that were sprawled across the now dirt road. Some of the rocks still had faded yellow marks from the road separations. They were once filled with cars. We don't use cars anymore, they are reserved for Moral.
As we got closer to the center I started to see people who were not dressed the same as the people from Tract 5. They had on black business suits and each one had a thin black vail that covered there eyes, it was Morals trademark. Some of them were hard to depict the women from the men. However, most of the women had long hair that they swirled in high buns or cone shapes on their heads. What make them stick out the most were the dark guards that followed close behind each one of them.
We called them the Malo and they we the protectors and law enforcers of the Tracts. They were stationed around every tract and most of the time where you couldn't see them, but they saw you. They were always dressed in uniform, all black. They had dark tented helmets that came down to the bottom of their noses, only allowing you to see their mouths. A lot like the Moral people. They were also the ones who did the branding. They were not loved around the society, only by Moral, and now they were crawling like termites around our tract.

As more and more of them began to gather on the street I clung closer to Lucas. I could feel the silent tension in the air radiating from my neighbors. As we walked I could feel the queasy knots beginning to form in my stomach.We had to walk about a mile to get to the square.

We walked in silence until we got to the center where it seemed to be bustling with people. The crowd roared with noise from all corners. There were thin hovering tables at the front with hovering disks to sit on. We had technology in places like the school, but never anything this advanced.
"That is where you sign in," Lucas said pointing in the direction of the hovering tables,"Are you okay from here."
"Yes Lucas," I said arrogantly, "I think I can walk over and sign in all by myself."
He rolled his eyes, "You didn't have to be sarcastic about it."
I stared to walk away, but I shouted back to him, "If you didn't want a sarcastic answer then don't ask stupid questions."

I was scared though, I didn't know what they were going to do or what they were going to ask.
I walked timidly up to the hovering table and sat down on a hovering disk that I think was meant to be a stool. The lady that sat on the opposite side. She was clothed in a black suit jacket and a black pencil skirt that stuck to her skin. She had on a black transparent cloth that covered her eyes like a blindfold. Her dark hair was placed delicately in a tall bun on top of her head. She had blood red lipgloss that was thickly spread across her swollen lips and her skin was goldenly tanned. The woman reminded me of line, the way she sat and the way everything on her was sharp and narrow. Typical Moral citizen.

"Hello," I said hoping to get her attention, but she didn't look up from her papers.
"Piper... Piper Shaefer," I said again.
"And I am guessing that is you name," she breathed in a surprising voice.
"Yes, that is my name." The woman still hadn't looked up from her papers.
"What is your scar count Ms. Shaefer?"
The question struck me like a brick to my head. I had no idea what my scar count was, the thought had never accord to me to count my scars. Usually I am more concerned about trying not to get caught doing whatever it is that I wasn't supposed to be doing.
"Today Ms. Shaefer," she was obviously annoyed, "there are others behind you waiting to be checked in."
I had to think, I knew I had less then Aidan, but that didn't help most people did. I also knew I had more then Lucas, so maybe twenty.
"Twenty three," a voice from behind me said.
I spun around the fastest and best I could without fall off the the hovering disk. It was Lucas. He had come to my rescue and I knew I was going to hear about it later.
"Who are you," the woman asked finally looking up from the papers. Lucas had obviously peeked her interest.
"Her oldest brother, Lucas Shaefer," he sounded so calm like he had done it a hundred times. "My papers should be with hers and my scar count for this year is twenty six. Is that all you will be needing from her?"
The lady looked baffled.
"Um, just fill out these papers and give them to the announcer when you go on stage."
There was something strange about this Moral worker she was fake seeming. She was the first one to actually be intimidated by Lucas. Something was also off about the way he spoke to her, she should have called a malo to punish Lucas or something.

She handed me a stack of three pieces of white paper with black typed letters all over it. She also handed me a small yellow pencil stub.

As we walked through the crowed I tried to fill out the questions using my hand as a table.
Name: Piper Shaefer
Age: 16
Birthdate: June 28
Family: Lucas Shaefer and Aidan Shaefer
Relation: Brothers
Scar count: 23
Basic questions like that.

"Piper watch out!"
Lucas grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the way of a tall malo.
The malo plowed through right where I was standing.

"Watch out kid," he growled in voice of pure disgust.

All I could see was his mouth surrounded by a dark void of bullet proof armor. It felt as though I could see his eyes piercing through the evil shaded visor he was wearing. I half expected him to take out his tool and brand me, but he just kept walking after giving me a sneer. He probably thought I wasn't worth the trouble.
We swerved our way through the crowd and finally made it close enough to the stage. On it sat three metal chairs for the three representatives of Moral. Then filing down the steps on ether side of the stage were single file lines. The one on the right consisted of all the sixteen year old boys in my class and the one on the left was the girls.

Lucas spun me around to face him and I knew what was coming. The, I told you so speech.
"Now are you sure you you can go from here this time," Lucas said cockily, "by yourself."
I stared down at my papers trying to finish the last few questions and avoid him.
"Would you stop pretending and listen to me for two seconds!"
"Lucas...," I started, but he interrupted me.
"Piper, please be careful when you go up there and don't say anything stupid."
I nodded and walked away towards the girls line on the left.