Virtuous

Chapter 1

6:45 a.m. Monday, August 26th, 2497. I am not the only one awake at this time; in fact, if you are not awake by 6:45 a.m., you are already behind. Throughout the city you can practically hear the synchrony of the alarm clocks. Everyone wakes up at the same time. It doesn't matter what age you are, what job you work, or where you live - you get up at 6:45 a.m. We all start our days this way.

You must be out of bed by 6:50 a.m. and ready for breakfast by 7:15 a.m. Everybody eats breakfast at 7:15 a.m. The buses run at 7:30 a.m., and the cars leave the driveways by 7:35 a.m. If you miss any of these times, you will be reprimanded. In this city, our lives run on a schedule, and everyone is to abide by it. Nobody knows exactly what happens if you miss a time, we all know you get in trouble, but the bigger question is, what kind? It is frowned upon to ask anyone the kind of punishment they have received, so unless you get in trouble, you must pretend the punishments don't exist.

Luckily for me, I am a perfectionist, so I have never been reprimanded for missing a time or doing anything unorderly. I always keep my long, brown hair nicely kept when I am out in public, even if it is quite unruly at home; I must be presentable to the public eye. My entire wardrobe only consists of the most pristine skirts and blazers, and of course a pair of heels to accompany that - they say the height makes you look slimmer. I have, and will never, step out of the boundaries of the world I live in. Oddly, I find it quite comforting to live in a world of control and order.

As an 18-year-old, I think that all 18-year-olds should have more control and order; they tend to be quite rebellious. The other kids my age don't abide by the rules nearly as well as I do. However, I have never asked anyone about the punishment that they have gotten for misbehaving. It's against the rules, and I can't imagine hearing about such a horrific thing anyways.

Regardless, there is one person I would love to know more about, but it is completely against my morals and everything I stand for, so I never will. Ryker Trevino has been in more trouble than anyone in my grade. He is never at school on time, he never attends scheduled activities but maybe twice a month, he does not abide by the dress codes, and I could go on and on about all the rules that he has broken. Basically, everything that goes against what is right is what he chooses to do.

I don't understand why he would choose to continue to get in trouble. He is smart, a lot smarter than I am, but for some reason, that must not be enough. Last I heard, he was just a few more mishaps away from being "done". I am not quite sure what "done" means in this context, but I can only believe that it is something not worth ever finding out. Ryker is part of the Rogues, but no Rogue has ever gone as far as he has, not that I am aware of. Even some of the worst people are too afraid to reach the point that he has, which is partially what intrigues me the most about him. I would never speak to him, even the smallest interaction could ruin my reputation, but I will always be curious.