The giver

Nervous (20)

Break for midday meal, I was realized how hungry I was

Me and my group mates congregated by the tables in front of the Auditorium and took their packaged food, yesterday there had merriment at lunch a lot of teasing and energy.

But today the group stood anxiously separate from the other children, I watched the new Nines gravitate toward their waiting bicycles, each one admiring his or her name tag.

I saw the Tens stroking their new shortened hair, the females shaking their heads to feel the unaccustomed lightness without the heavy braids they had worn so long.

"I heard about a guy who was absolutely certain he was going to be assigned Engineer" Ethan muttered as they ate "and instead they gave him Sanitation Laborer, he went out the next day and jumped into the river. Swam across and joined the next community he came to. Nobody ever saw him again"

Everyone laughed except me who had a cold stone expression as I stopped eating, only mason realized the mood change and comforted me. Giving a reinsuring smile

A female in our group spoke up "that's just a made up story, my father said he heard that story when he was a Twelve"

But Ethan just ignored her pretending not to hear it, he was eyeing the river where it was visible behind the auditorium, as I did the same.

"I can't even swim very well, my instructor said that I don't have the boyishness or something" as he looked forward shrugging

Well I still lingered on the river
"Buoyancy" mason correcting him as I look over, normally he kept quiet unless someone made a mistake

"Whatever I don't have it, I sink"
I don't why but for reason I feel like Ethan is targeting me

I always knew Noah was an excellent swimmer so when I heard he drowned, it took awhile to come to terms with it

"Anyway have you ever once known of anyone mean really known for sure Ethan, not just heard a story about it. Who joined the other community"

That was Mary; Ethan and her always bickered but behind there backs we always talk about how they be a great match

"No! But you can, it says so in the rules. If you don't fit in you can apply for elsewhere and be released. My mother said that once about ten years ago. Someone applied to be released and was gone the next day"

Chuckling Ethan "she told me that because I was driving her crazy, she threatened to apply for elsewhere"

Even though none of us said it, was that something really to brag about

It didn't worry me much, how could someone not fit in? The community was meticulously ordered, the choices so carefully made.

Even the matching of spouses was given such weighty consideration that sometimes an adult who applied to receive a spouse waited months or even years before a match was approved and announced.

All of the factors disposition,energy level, intelligence, and interests had to correspond and interact perfectly

My mother for example had higher intelligence than father but my father had a calmer disposition. They balanced each other.

Their match which like all matches had been monitored by the committee of Elders for three years before they could apply for children, had always been a successful one.

Like the matching of spouses and the Naming and placement of new children, the assignments were scrupulously thought through by the committee of Elders.

I was certain that my assignment whatever it was to be and mason too, would be the right one for us. I only wished midday meal would conclude, that the audience would reenter the Auditorium and the suspense would end.

As I felt nervous luckily mason gave my hand a squeeze well the others wasn't paying attention

Soon the signal came and the crowd began to move towards the doors