Deprived

Chapter 17

The next morning Maize sat at her desk at the Finders Department, trying hard to stay focused. She was already on her twenty-eighth Finding by nine o clock in the morning—doing good, but it was a struggle. She couldn't stop thinking about the AllPill she had to steal that day from the lab.

She thought it best to leave during her twenty-minute break. It was also when most in the lab took their breaks.

Yesterday in the break room, while talking to one of the lab workers, a former Chosen from her side of the village, she learned that they took a break at the same time each day.

She thought she might go into the lunchroom and steal one of their cards to get into the lab. That way the crime wouldn't be traced back to her. But she quickly learned that they didn't use cards but DNA access—a thumb-print, and retina scanning—to get into the lab. Well that meant that her Finders Department ID wouldn't do her any good.

She thought about overpowering one of the workers to get into the lab, but that would draw too much attention. She even thought about killing one of them and using their DNA, but she couldn't justify taking an innocent life to save another and quickly threw that plan out.

Asking William to help her might work, but he was loyal to President Aberdeen, and she still didn't know how much she could trust him. Also, she wouldn't be able to live with herself if he got caught and was executed.

So, she found the most honest way to get into the lab. She would just ask. Ask to tour the facility to gain access and steal the AllPill. It wouldn't look suspicious because most new Chosens were eager to visit ProLab.

And once inside? Years of swiping food from the factory to feed her family would make this job easy. Or so she wanted to believe.

She wasn't proud of what she did, but in desperate times, she and Ollie were forced to steal food. It was either that or starve to death. The measly packages distributed monthly to each family were never enough.

She was eager to administer her final plan, which seemed steady and reasonable. She asked Jack if she could take a tour, and he said yes, but it would take at least one week to process the request.

Maize couldn't wait that long. Liam couldn't wait that long. Henry was looking to have the AllPill in his hand by 7:00 pm that night.

Maize exhaled as she sent off another file to a subject via the net.

She was doing this for Liam and would do it again in a heartbeat because none of this was his fault. Liam didn't ask to come into this world, and he definitely didn't ask to be born in a place and time where freedom was a myth.

As Maize circled a pimple on the image of a young female on the screen with the e-pen, she saw she had a new message in her private mail folder. She clicked on the red box, and it took her to her netmail. When she clicked on the message, it was her first Finding recommendation, made by a finder called Z10347. Of course, no location was given. And Maize didn't care to know; she was already embarrassed that some stranger had seen so much of her body. And found her deficient. She had to make an appointment to see several doctors. One to remove the mole on her cheek and the freckles off her face and body. And a plastic surgeon to thin her nose. According to the finder, her nose was too big.

A tinge of anger leaped inside.

Maize clicked on her comm device and activated the virtual mirror. Nothing was wrong with her nose. Although, she pulled the device closer to her face. It was a bit flared on the sides. She deactivated the mirror and exhaled.

The Finding also recommended she use Allz topical cream all over her body to lighten her skin and remove blemishes caused by the sun. That cream should be picked up at the Cosmetic Department on Howard Street. She was told to continue using the hair cleaner to tame her curls. Maize had to make an appointment to meet with the laser surgeon to take care of the deep scar on her right arm.