I poked my head out from my warm haven and looked to the barren,
concrete floor. I looked closer and spotted out the nearly microscopic
sensors imbedded there.
One step out of bed before the recommended time and the control
force would break into my room, demanding an explanation before I could
punch my self for carrying out such a stupid act.
Of coarse, if I have a death wish, I scoffed.
My eyes followed the floor until they reached the wall opposite of
the window. The sun glistened off of the dangling medals; one with a
green ribbon saying third place regional football team, another, but
with a blue ribbon, held the words first place district language arts
student, etc. Most were blue ribbons and a few green scattered about,
but no red. I despised red.
The way our classes in school were categorized was by; Intellectual
classes (blue), Athletic classes (green) and Political classes (red). In
our Primary years we are observed to see what career clusters we will
fall into, and determine our interests. In middle school we are educated
about our determined clusters. Then in High school we have three
classes a semester, one in each of the categories. I was in my second
year of High school, and had made an admirable amount of intellectual
awards. It was one of the only things I cared about, proving I wasn’t
just another citizen going along with the government’s wishes. I wanted
to prove it was possible to show the government up by success. Not to
mention the medals were also the only things allowed in our rooms other
than a bed and clock.
I heard the high pitched, screechy noise I had been dreading. I
swung my arm over and hit the off button. Okay. I have twenty minutes to
shower, get my uniform on, and then ten more to get to school in time
for the nation’s daily update.
I quickly jumped out of bed and scuttled past my medals into the
shower. It was a fast shower, but was effective in waking me up. I then
turned the water off and began to dry my self. I pushed a button beside
of the shower and a rack of black, white, and gray uniforms slid out of
the wall.
At least I have some freedom, I thought stiffly while picking off a white outfit and tossing it on my body.
I then rushed down the stairs, seeing I had four minutes left and
snagged a Kiji fruit as I ran out the door. I jogged at a brisk pace
down my street’s sidewalk, taking large bites out of the sweet, and
tangy fruit. I passed a few straggling people that paid me no attention.
In no time I had reached a huge, dome like building called school. I
slowed my pace at the stairs so I could throw my fruit’s core away over
the stairs’ rail into an endless, dark hole on the ground. Who knew
where it went.
I walked through the glass doors into the school lobby. Everyone was
staring up at the massive screen in the ceiling. It had 00:08 pictured,
clicking down showing that in eight seconds everyone not yet in the
school would be tardy. I had never been tardy but I did know you got
five lashes for every day you missed when you returned if it was not
excused, so I could only imagine the punishment. The clock finally
reached zero and an overly enthusiastic woman appeared on the screen
from behind a large desk.
“Good morning, what a beautiful day it is to live in Snickery”, she
chirped. “As you all know, the Glory Match drawings are coming up
tomorrow, so be ready to fight if called upon for Snickery rose out of a
dieing world that was in the middle of a great war, were no one knew
who could be trusted. The day North America won the war against the
middle eastern world, it was decided that we would every country would
unite to form Snickery. We now use the glory match to decide who is
worthy of being leader of all that is and all that will ever be.
President Aubrey is preparing for his departure remembering his
match and how exhilarating it was. He says he leaves with no regrets and
can’t wait to meet all the sectors’ representatives. In other news-”
I blocked the rest out because I was still infuriated by the woman’s
words. How “exhilarating” the glory match was for President Aubrey? How
dare he make a comment about the event as if it were some play thing?!?
The very thought that anyone could act in such a way as he did put me
on the edge of vomiting, but I kept the bile out of my mouth.
The screen finally went black and I began the long walk to my Monarchy class.