After the tables are relieved of empty plates and glasses the dronesman who spoke before stands and addresses us all. "Now is the time you have all been anticipating. Each of you will recieve your life card, and begin your journey."
The grapefruit from earlier grows by the second. I feel like I might burst.
The dronesman looks at an info pad. "Abiniah Turk." A bouncy blonde girl hops out of her chair. I see boys watching her. One seems to slump a little to see under her short gold dress. The dronesman holds out a silver card to her witch she takes happily. I can't help but shake my head.
"Allen Frank." He continues with three more A's then reaches the B's. I swallow. "Ben Jacobs." Please be another B before me. "Briany Chades." My feet automatically spring forward. Oh no. I look around me. My parents smiling. The girls not giving me a second glance. The boys snickering. And one lone, sad teen staring at me with wide, weeping eyes.
The dronesman holds out a flat, simple, rectangular, silver card. I concentrate on steadily grasping the piece of plastic that is worth so much more. Or is it?
As I pull away I spot a black mark on my arm. I quickly glance up at the dronesman's hard eyes. They are not on me though. They are already disinterested in me and have begun memorizing the next name on the list. I press my arm against the layers of flimsy, yellow fabric in pursuit of concealing the mark. I walk away; clutching the thin, smooth card in my sweaty palms, and sit.
I study the faces of each kid as they trot up to the grim reaper to receive their lashings. Then one stanss and slowly makes her sorrowful way up to the dronesman. Eden. Eden Jenks. That's her name. A small but strong fair skinned girl.
She sits with the card carelessly inserted between two fingers. She looks up and again we stare. She opens her arm to me and subtly points to the mark. I slowly peak.my arm away from my dress and focus on the swirling pattern the size of my eye on my forearm. It almost looks like waves. Chaotic, hurricane waves. The ones that roar up onto the sand and drag you out to sea to drown.
I was not nervous to get the meaningless card bestowed upon me. I was horrified to have to accept the responsibility of possessing this card that I will not be using. Because as I stare into Eden's eyes and see that we were marked with the same black symbol of certain doom, I realize what I have to do. I have to rebel. I have to go against all laws possible. I have to run away.
