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26 |Cody|

Glancing at my mom over my breakfast, I study her. I study her impassive face, hiding all the worry and misery I know she is feeling; hiding the guilt I know she still feels. She feels like this is her fault for creating Chips. I know she does, even if my father is the one who ruined her invention. Even if society has been similar to this even before Chips.

My mom suddenly wrinkles her nose, letting a burnt piece of bacon fall to her expensive plate. "Sometimes I regret firing the cooks," she mutters. 

I simply shrug. Her food might not be the best, but it keeps us alive. Plus, I can get food from Jared's house or school. Food might keep me alive, but it's not my main concern. My main concern is taking down my father and making sure Autumn completes her mission safely. I know Autumn is strong, but I hope she's okay. I hope that all of us get out of this okay.

Mom grabs her plate and dumps the overly running eggs and burnt bacon into the trash can beside the dishwasher. I watch the eggs slide down the porcelain, finally dropping into the trash bag while leaving slimy residue in it's wake. Then, Mom places the plate in the sink, barely grumbling a farewell to me before walking towards to door. I feel bad for her. She has to deal with what's left of our government everyday. She has to worry about her scumbag of a husband coming back to haunt us all. My mom might be a strong woman, but this is all wearing her out as much as it is me and the others.

With a sigh, I follow suit; I scrape my food into the trash can with my fork and put the plate and fork into the sink. Then, I grab my bag from the floor next to my chair and sling it over my shoulder. I begin my walk to school. Just me, the gentle breeze, and the faux greenery. I inhale the faint scent of rain lingering from last night's rainshower. I hop over a puddle, popping in my wireless earbuds and humming along to a random song I play from my watch.

I start as my watch begins ringing.  Then, I curse my cousin under my breath and accept the call.

"I won't be coming to school today." His holographic face floats above my watch, icy eyes boring into my own.

"Good morning to you, too," I mutter, rubbing away the lingering evidence of sleep from my eyes. Then, his words click and my eyes widen. "What? Why? Are you insane?"

"Aren't we all a little insane?" He casually responds.

I shake my head at him, glad he can see the annoyance in my holographic gaze. "Seriously. You can't miss school unless you physically can't drag your-"

"Oh, shut up," he laughs, causing me to become even more annoyed with him. He has a death wish. "The reason I'm staying home is because my mom needs me. She's pretty worried and upset about what my dad did. We still haven't heard from him, by the way. Anyways, we're all going to meet at the new base as soon as schools ends."

I raise an eyebrow. "Since when are you in charge?"

He smirks. "Someone scared he'll lose his authority?"

I scoff. I'm not a leader- but I guess I'm trying to be. I mean, I did start all of this with Autumn. Maybe a part of me wants to be in control. But, I trust my cousin. I trust everyone in our group, so it doesn't matter who's calling meetings. "No. I'll be there."

Jared simply nods, then the call ends. I let out a breath, the school now looming in front of me. So, I pull out my earbuds and pocket them. Another day of dealing with my peers, of meaningless classwork. With our impending meeting in mind, I force my feet to carry my towards to building, weaving my way through the people heading in the same direction as me. Soon, enough, I'm shoving open one of the double doors, and the cool air conditioning greets me. I allow it to cool my sweaty skin as I head towards my locker, unlocking it and gathering what I'll need for my first class. My fingers graze Autumn's journal at the bottom of my bag and something churns within my stomach. I ignore it, focusing on getting through the day.