would rather keep quiet.
I scoot over to the window. Taking the window seat keeps me from sitting between people, but it will only be the seven of us today so I guess it doesn’t really matter where I sit.
Families turn and go back into their houses as we drive past them, lucky to be left untouched. They’ll go have breakfast now. They’ll go to school and work. I wonder if Dad is fixing himself some oats. I won’t look around to see if he’s still standing there.
‘It’s not a Virtuous thought,’ I reprimand myself. I must have courage, as per the virtue, Humility. I must sacrifice off myself, as per Charity. I straighten up and lift my chin.
We stop and I can’t keep from looking at the family hugging each other outside their house. A house just like all the others.
Our Ecocity was cleaned up after the Fifth World War. With the last war everything was destroyed. I was one of the lucky ones, not to have been born yet. But from what I’ve heard in my History class it was a brutal war where only a few survived. From what I understand no one won, and too many died. Mankind was almost driven to a point of extinction, the animals and most of the vegetation, plants and trees weren’t that fortunate – they were all destroyed. All that remained was their DNA some scientist had managed to keep in a secure location from the Dissolute. That location is now the laboratories where my father works, at the heart of our Ecocity, close to where I’ll be going to be blessed.
Sometimes I get the feeling everything is just too … much, too perfect. It’s a bubble waiting to be popped. The way this family’s bubble has just been popped, just like mine was popped. They hug, they kiss, they say their farewell.
“Mr. Demetrius. It’s Mr. Demetrius!” Jasper’s voice cracks. I think a part of my heart is breaking as well, as I watch our science teacher start toward the bus.
I watch his wife hold their two children. It’s not right that Mr. Demetrius has been chosen, he has a family to take care of.
He offers us a tight smile as he comes aboard the bus and I try to give him one back, but I think I fail, because he squeezes my shoulder and then scoots into the seat next to Jasper.
“I’m not ready to die.” Jasper’s words come out in a rush. He is breathing so fast it sounds like he’s been running.
It’s not something I’m good at, physical exercises. We only had the class once a week when I was still in school, luckily for me. Since I’ve been in college the only exercise I get in is when I walk to and from my classes.
“We’re not going to die, Jasper. The Dissolute aren’t barbaric. We have been honored by being chosen.” I don’t turn around in my seat to look at Mr. Demetrius, as he speaks words of comfort to Jasper.
I haven’t thought about death, only finding Mom, should I ever get the opportunity to go. I haven’t thought at all about what lies behind the boundary marker of the dome.
“Why have none of the others returned?” Jasper asks the question I thought of quite often since Mom was banished.
In my heart I never really thought the day would come that I would be chosen. I didn’t even feed the glofish this morning.
“Because they are still spreading the news.” I wonder if Mr. Demetrius truly believes what he is saying.
We stop again. I know this house. Ruth Hosea lives here. She’s a year younger than me. I know this, because we sometimes walk home together. I look down at my hands. I know if I see her crying, I will cry too. I hear her come onto the bus and I hear her go to Mr. Demetrius. That’s good. I only have strength for myself right now.
I don’t look up to see who the last three people are. I keep my eyes on my hands. But, we don’t stop – we collect more people. One of them sits down next to me. I scoot as close to the window as I can. My knuckles are starting to show white as I clench my hands tightly into fists on my lap. I don’t understand why there’s more than seven and I grow more anxious each time the bus stops.
The metropolis area of our Ecocity rises high into the