The System

Chapter 7

Recap:

I get it now. Transferring before your first job is not common here, but in Geneva, the location of the main Council, it is. Only highly trained officials are allowed to work there. In Class 1, our tastes might have been more similar than others, so his city council might have want him transferred here.

"I hope I'll see you soon." he smiles. I find myself smiling back."Goodbye, Selena." And the hologram disappears.

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That evening, me, M, and Andrea are ready to go to the rec center.

"I heard there is a new VR today!" says M excitedly. I frown.

"Already? They just came out with one!"

"Oh, no, I meant they are developing one. That' what I'm working on." he says.

We make small talk as we head to the tram station. What I see stops me in my tracks. I see a small girl, pushed onto the tram tracks by this group of boys. She doesn't seem to be able to get up. And I react. I don't think, I just run. Shoving the boys out of the way, I jump on the track and lift the girl up. I'm pulled back just in time by M and Andrea to stop the both of us getting run over.

"Are you okay?" I ask the girl. She shakes her head no, and starts to sob in my shirt. Her blonde hair falls to her face. I look up and I find M next to me. He comes down to my level and hisses,

"Are you nuts? You could have been killed! I almost lost it when you jumped!"

I shrug. "I'm okay. Thanks for saving me." M looks like he wants to kill me.

Andrea comes over and I hand the girl over to her. Her sobs become violent, and Andrea tries to calm her down. Meanwhile, I've got some business to do. Heading over to the boys, who tried to slink away, I give them an icy glare.

"Where do you think you're going?" I ask, my words sharp as a blade.

"N-nowhere?" says one of them. Looking closer, I see about four boys in total.

"Why did you do that? Don't you realize she could have been killed?" I almost shout. It being evening, not many people were outside. No one who passed by would give us so much as a second glance.

"S-she bumped into us and w-we just shoved h-her playfully-"

I was about to say something when M stops me. "Listen, don't ever do that again. You don't know if someone could get hurt. Now get the fu-" He glances at Andrea and the girl. "Heck out of here"

They run like a pack of dogs and soon it's only us. M turns to me.

"Are you out of your mind , Selena?"

I look at the ground and mumble sorry.