Puppet

Adara Crane - 2319
When you live in a perfect society, fear is a rare emotion. But now, as the Destiny Train grows closer, fear makes itself known. It digs its hooks into each of my limbs and reels me away from the platform. You know what to do! My conscience shouts.
Five descending notes fill the air through hidden speakers, and before determination can win over, the train is looming before me. I rip free from the lines of fear and steady myself as I board the train.
The moment I'm seated, the train makes its departure, and I'm being hurtled deeper into the city. 200 miles per hour. 10 feet above the ground. Has it always been so loud? Sharp ticking noises slice through the air from below the laminate flooring. Slice. Slice. Slicing into me. I squeeze my eyes shut. Before now I've only noticed the soft shushing sound as that sweet, floral scent it despensed from above my seat.
I'm alone as usual, the first to board. Every morning I'm grateful for the time I have alone with my thoughts. But now my thoughts and I are in desperate need of some distance. Tick. Tick. Slice. Slice. I force my eyes open again, and my hands cling tightly to the arm rests. "Destiny Day!" The words burn into me, printed gold letters stretching along the carriage.
Today my life is decided.
Today I will meet my fate.

Everywhere I look there are bright golden lanterns. They form a glittering cloud above our heads. Calvin's hand on my elbow is all that keeps me stumbling forward, along with his voice snapping orders into my ear. "Walk in a straight line!" "Pull yourself together!"
The fields are bustling to the seams with residents; some families, some friends, some teachers, and some students awaiting their fate like me. My eyes search the scene for mother, but it's hopeless.
The closer we get to the academy, the more people there are.
I feel Calvin's hands on my shoulders and he spins me quickly to face him. His face is suddenly inches from mine but it takes a few seconds for my eyes to focus on his.
"Adara." He says.
Standing stationary improves my allignment. The worlds spinning slows and the golden cloud above us is kinder to my eyes. I manage to answer, "yes?"
"Fear is irrelevant." He tells me.
I've never seen him like this before; He's usually so calm and reserved. I feel a frown forming on my face and for a moment the fear boiling in my stomach calms, replaced by concern for my oldest friend. Frustration is almost as rare as fear, especially coming from him.
"Destiny Day is hard for all of us." I say.
"Don't think about that."
"I've never seen you so...imperative."
"I've never been imperative before." His head falls in shame. So many strange emotions. The frown on my face feels alien and new. "Sorry." He says.
We both turn our gaze to the academy, and I know I can't stay here much longer.
"What should I do?" I whisper, as fear regains control.
"It's simple Dara. You walk in. You wait. And then-"
"And then they tell me." I interrupt him, not wanting to hear the words from anyone else.
"Everything you've done in the past 18 years has led up to this moment. Please, Dara, don't sabotage all of it."
"How could I? Observation finished last week."
"How about lack of punctuality?" When he answers, my hands begin to tremble. "Fear is irrelevant." He says, again, giving my shoulder a squeeze.
And with that, I march across the grass to meet my fate.

"271 please." That voice again. It pierces through my chest. Not male. Not female. Just a strange, robotic monotone that somehow manages to speak with no lips and no tounge. I long for mother's voice. Wonder what she's doing now. Is she thinking of me?
Every number called makes me wish I could sink into this chair. To be swallowed and digested, never to be seen again. To find a place where there is no Destiny Day, no academy. A place where Calvin and I can lay in lilac fields and stare up into navy blue skies that seem to go on forever. A place where I can hear mothers soothing voi-
"306 please." Another number pierces my heart, snatching me from lilac fields, dropping me back into reality. Despite pushing my back hard against the chair it refuses to swallow.
"Stubborn." I mutter.
I'm alone in this small room, while fear eats away at every inch of me, making me sweat.
"364 please." I think my body just split into two. Both halves stumble forward. I feel the walls with my hands, blinded by fear, then the golden door opens and I nearly fall through.