Anchoring

Part 2 • Joanna

I walked into my first class: Advanced Math. On the board it said:

Please complete the problem below:
8,000x + 4,350 - 8,216 / 4 = 5

Easy. I already knew the answer. x is 1.94. I remember doing these types of problems before the Anchors left School.
When you are born into Society, you go to Nursery. Basically, Nurses take care of you when your real parents don't have to worry about you and get ready for you to live in their Pod. Then, you are given back to your family and placed in your Pod. After a year of just adjusting to your family and Pod, you start going to School. School is where kids learn our language, simple math, science, and history. On your 13th birthday, half of your Class, this my include or exclude you, get The Choice. The Choice is where you determine where you will be living (Neighborhood Pods, City Pods, Rural Pods, or Government Pods) and your job for the rest of your life (Creator, Stylist, Teacher, Knowledgable, Nurse, Farmer, or Official). The other half don't get The Choice, they get Chosen. If you get Chosen, you get no choices in your life anymore. These people are called Anchors. All of these people's memories get wiped and they get sent to the Icebergs.

Mother is a Teacher, someone who teaches at School. Father is a Creator, deals with Anchors and The Choice. Old Sister is a Nurse, cares for young. Young Brother is going to School, still learning and has 2 more years until his 13th birthday. Old Brother is an Anchor. I am a Knowledgable.

"Okay, Knowledgeables. My name is Teacher Reynolds. I will be teaching you advanced, over-the-curriculum math," He begins a coughing fit and we excuse him, "Thank you. Now, what is the answer to this problem?" He looked around the room, looking for a hand but all he saw was blank faces staring at him. Then, he noticed a girl in the very back with short, curly blonde hair and sky blue eyes who put her small hand up extremely high. She waited for a good while for him to call on her.
He pointed at this girl and said,"What is the answer?"
"1 and 94 hundredths, Teacher Reynolds."
"What is your name, ma'am?"
"Joanna Thomas, sir."
"Thank you, Miss. Thomas," Teacher Reynolds starts to pull his chalkboard so every Knowledgable in his class could see it, "Could you show the class how you got to that answer?"
"Yes, sir," I start walking towards the chalkboard.

"OMG, could that Teacher Reynolds ever stop talking about multiple step equations. That was so last year," I just met a girl and she can't stop talking about the advanced courses from this morning, "And that Teacher Samson could barely let us work on our own. It was all about one lab partner and that was it. No more. No less." All that I know about this girl is that her name is Carissa Smith. Finally, after so long of her talking, I say, "It's not okay to talk behind someone's back and worst of all, your Teachers. I do not want to be involved in your dramatic talk so leave me alone."
After that, I would leave to my next class. After that class, Carissa had some excuse for bumping into me and then begin talking to me. This keeps on going on forever and ever until University of Knowledge lets out all their Knowledgeables, including Carissa and I.

"How did Knowledgeable Classes go today," Mother asks me after I step one foot into the Pod.
"Good. How was School?"
"Great. Ryan and I had a blast," Ryan is my Young Brother, "Sydney will be back in the Pod soon." Sydney is my Old Sister.
"Fantastic. Can't wait to hear about baby disasters." I reunite with Mother by embracing her.
Then, we hear Father and Sydney come into the Pod. Not quietly. They are angry at each other. Fighting like usual. Nurses and Creators never get along.