Red-F 4510. That was her name. She stood on a brilliant green lawn, surrounded by her neighbors and family. It was Selecting Day. By order of law, once a year, everyone gathered on the front lawn of the Alussia palace to go through medical and acade...
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My name is Red-F 4510. Not much of a name, but I didn't really think about that back then. Nobody did; to us, names were only meant for identification. The color in my name indicates my age division, and the letter after that indicates my gender. The number is pretty much the only permanent part of my name. My name basically means I'm a female ranging from 15-20 years of age. But back then we only went off of our color coding, which was displayed using a colored armband around our upper arms or wrists. All I really knew was that I was in the Red Division.
When I got home that day I knew that something was up. My mother, Purple-F 2012, was running around the house, cleaning everything, and frantically trying to straighten her plain silver dress. Everyone in Alussia (at least everyone I knew or had seen) wore the same silver clothes. Women were allowed to wear dresses as well as the simple pants and shirts we had. "Oh, sweetheart! You're finally here. Go upstairs and change, quickly or we'll be late," my mother said with a quick look and faint smile. I smiled back. "Hi mom." I dumped my bag by the door and started upstairs, taking the stairs two at a time. Today was the Selecting Day. This was the day that people disappeared. That maybe I would disappear too. Once a year, everyone from every age division went to the Alussia Palace to undergo a series of medical tests. And, for the Red and Green Divisions, several academic tests as well. No one really knew exactly why this happened. But nobody liked it. People had lost friends and family to the Selecting Day. I stripped off the clothes I had worn to RDLF (Red Division Learning Facility) and pulled on a cool silvery dress identical to my mother's. As I slipped on flats the same color as the dress, I heard my mother shout from downstairs for me to hurry. "I'm coming mother!," I yelled back, and rushed down the stairs. My mother gave me a tight, flustered smile when I reached the bottom, and smoothed back some of my hair. "Are you ready?" she asked. I shook my head, "No. Are you?" She shook her head ruefully, her eyes gleaming playful. My mother was always like that; playful, and yet oddly reassuring. As we walked down the sidewalk to the palace lawn, I gripped her hand tightly. She squeezed back just as hard as I did.
As we neared the lawn, I began to panic. I stopped and pulled my mother's arm sharply. "Mother, what if...what if you..." She sighed and gently set her hand on my cheek. "Oh sweetheart. I'm scared too. They could take you away from me and I'll never see you again. Or they could take me away, and then who would take care of you?" I opened my mouth to speak, but a gesture from her silenced me. "We can't think like that. It won't help anything. But it does help a little bit to believe that we'll both come out of this okay. Can you do that for me sweetheart? Just believe that I'll be okay, and that we'll both come out of this alright?" I nodded quickly, fighting to hold back the tears that threatened to spill from my eyes. My mother smiled half-heartedly. "That's my girl." I took her hand again and we continued to the lawn. Several of our neighbors greeted us, and we began to mill about the crowd, checking out vendors stalls and making some small purchases here and there. The Selecting Day was intended to be a holiday of sorts; it lasts the entire day, and occasionally the entire night, so many different vendors and stages are set up for food and entertainment for those waiting to take their various tests, or those coming back from theirs. Nobody is allowed to leave the lawn until it is officially announced. After buying some food, my mother and I sat underneath a blooming cherry blossom tree until her name was called. Everyone above and below the Red and Green Divisions takes their tests first, due to the fact that they only have one medical test to take. My mother and I stood up, and I walked her to the large, sterile looking white van that would take her, and 23 others away for their medical testing. As she was about to get in, she turned around and embraced me tightly. "Please come back," I whispered, tears now pouring down my cheeks. "I'll try." she whispered back, and, letting go of me, wiped a tear off my cheek and got into the van. I went back to the tree, and sat down, slowly wiping away my remaining tears. For almost two hours I sat under the tree, occassionally talking to neighbors who came to see how I was doing. And then I saw her, pushing through the crowds and calling my name. I got up and ran across the lawn to her, hugging her harder than I ever have before. She laughed and hugged me tighter. "You're here!" I laughed as more tears spilled down my face. She started crying too. "I know. Now it's your turn to come back sweetheart." "I'll try," I whispered, the smile fading from my face. We sat under the tree together for three more hours until my name was called. I stood up hesitantly. My mother stood with me, and, grabbing my hand, walked slowly with me to the van that would take me away. It was another white van, similar to the one that had taken my mother. The only difference was that this one had a small section of the van wall jutting out of the side, as if someone had damaged it recently from inside...or tried to escape from it. I shook these thoughts out of my head and hoisted myself into the back of the van. Other people in the Red Division began hoisting themselves into the truck after me. I had chosen a seat near the door so I was near enough for my mother to desperately clutch at my hand. "You're going to be fine sweetheart," she breathed. I nodded. "I love you," I whispered. "I love you too," she whispered back. And with that, she let go of my hand and backed away as the van doors were slammed closed, and we began moving. I sighed, and leaned back until my head gently touched the wall. The drive was long and tedious, and I think I fell asleep. When I woke up, it was to loud bangings, and the sound of the van doors being opened. I unbuckled and jumped out. We stood before a large, intimidating white building in the setting sun. My heartbeat quickened in apprehension as I took in everything. Another girl in the Red Divison next to me looked absoutely terrified. I silently reached over and locked my fingers with hers. She smiled at me gratefully, and, hands locked together, we started walking towards the deciding factor in our fate.
