Spectralite

Chapter 7

"What?" I let out, looking at the side of his face, confused.

"I know it seems dumb, but think about it, we were born during the same period of those fatal deaths. I noticed that all the people whose names were embroidered were born between 224 and 230. The exact same time of the pandemic." He explained, looking around nervously, as if someone could be eavesdropping on our conversation.

What was he talking about? I considered for a moment his words. Yes, it was true that we were born right in the middle of the pandemic, but I could not see the connection between that and the selection process.

"What makes you think everyone person with their name on the chair were all born between these years?" I asked with a hint of irony. He must be playing some kind of strange joke on me.

As I observed him closely, I noticed his face was quite pale, and dark circles were visible under his eyes. He really did not seem to have passed a restful night.

"Agh, it's hard to explain, but trust me, I've been doing research since the day we all got weirdly sick, you remember? I manage to find others in our sector who had the exact same sickness." His explanation seemed coherent, "Oh, and this morning, I experienced those same symptoms again, I passed out in the fields because of it."

His words made me recall my own symptoms earlier in the day. The strange coincidences and the logical hypotheses he presented made me consider that I could trust him. However, with so many people around, I didn't feel like it was the right time to delve deeper in this discussion. I also didn't want to appear too preoccupied or worried during this significant event.

"You will need to explain yourself, but right now is not the moment. Meet me at the forest around 10 pm, okay?" I whispered. While I did have confidence in him, his weird behaviour and sudden shift from the flirty boy to this stress-out man made me wonder what happened this night.

He nodded silently, giving me a small smile in acknowledgement of our plan. I kept a close eye on him for the rest of the walk.

We finally reached the Auditorium minutes before the beginning. Taking our seats at the end of the theatre, I was awed by the grandeur of this place. The Auditorium was a vast and impressive room, only rarely used for important manners that required a large gathering.

It stood out from the rest of our sector's buildings, looking more like the structures in the upper-class and above. Its organic design, composed of sleek white and black panels with massive tinted windows, gave it an otherworldly feel. The interior was composed of a few offices and a theatre.

Silence grew in the room as the representative of the elite families stepped on stage.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen, I am delighted to be here with you tonight as we draw our 20 lucky individuals from the echelon 4, 5 and 6!" He announced enthusiastically into his microphone.

The sharp emerald suit he adorned, along with his exquisite green ring, gave right away his affiliation with the nouveau riche class. It was the very first time I encountered one in real life, I've only seen them on TV. The nouveau riche, situated just beneath the elite class, were individuals who newly acquired vast wealth, allowing them to enjoy opulent lifestyles. Yet,  they lacked a longstanding social status to be part of the elite aristocracy.

Beside him stood a huge bowl brimming with folded papers, presided over by a petite woman. She wore a sleek halter dress in a vibrant shade of blue. Her white earrings were easily visible because of her immense bun, showing she was from middle-class.

However, unlike the man, her demeanour was mark with a distinct discomfort, which made me wonder whether her presence was a voluntary choice or a result of some other circumstance.

As the selection process began, my heart pounded with anticipation and nerves. The woman reached the bowl, extracted a first paper and proclaimed in a clear voice, "For our first candidate, please welcome on stage Avery Sullivan!"

A tall and gorgeous woman from the front row rose gracefully and walked confidently onto stage. Her platinum blond hair cascaded elegantly just above her shoulders. Her attire consisted of a long lilac dress that hugged her delicate curves, culminating in a mermaid-style hem. While we could not discern her coloured accessory, it was clear she came from the white class.

She smiled at the audience, and the man engaged in a brief conversation with her before redirecting to the woman in charge of announcing the names.

One by one, the names of the chosen individuals were called out, and they made their way to the stage to join their respective spot. The atmosphere in the Auditorium was a mix of excitement, pride, and envy, and those who were not selected tried to hide their disappointment.

The woman's voice held a trace of nervousness as she delicately unfolded another paper,"And now, let us warmly welcome... Joshua Green!"

The world stopped spinning for a second as I glance at Josh. He got up with his eyes filled with a touch of hysteria.

Not for a moment had I really considered that one of us could be selected, and I felt a hole growing within me. He proceeded towards the stage, his head held high, and timidly smiled at the people.

As more names were announced, I started to feel dizzy, I've lost Joshua, he won't be in part of my life anymore. I was about to just run away, but I tried to remain calm, clinging to a slender hope.

I found myself holding my breath with each announcement, only two places remained. The announcer appeared to be visibly shaken, I hope she's okay.

With a trembling voice, she unfolds the paper and announces, "And now, the next candidate to be chosen is... Blair Anderson!"

Without even knowing, I had already made my way to the stage, feeling slightly anxious. I managed a hesitant wave to the crowd, but I quickly shifted my attention to where was Josh and the fellow candidate stood. He offered me a reassuring smile, however his eyes betrayed an underlying fear. Stepping out of the front, I joined the other candidates at the rear of the stage.

I could not believe it, to think that both Joshua and I wear chosen was almost too much to comprehend. My stomach squeezed from all those mixed emotions, happiness, excitement, but also lingering doubt.

As I listened to the last candidate being called out, my mind wandered around Josh's words about the strange connection between those with their names on the chairs and the time of the pandemic. I recall seeing a couple of names from among the chosen ones. It was all too coincidental to ignore, and I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to this selection process.

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Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the seventh chapter :3