ZONED

I

"Nya," Freddie's voice is barely more than a whisper as he wakes me. "What?" I wipe the sleep from my face and sit up in my top bunk. It's like 3:00 am. "Somebody's here," he whines, "I don't know who. But there truck's going down our street, and...". His voice is decorated with fear as it trails off. Is he serious? "What do you mean, Freddie?" I yawn and wrap a sleepy arm around him. "Their not good people," his six-year-old face is etched with worry, "...I'm scared."

He has to be imagining. A nightmare maybe? "Do you want to sleep up here with me?" I suggest. He looks around nervously, then nods. He and his stuffed bear snuggle up. "Try to get some sleep, okay? We've got school tomorrow." Freddie moans, "I don't like school. I'm not smart like you." "You're smart," I tell him. But, really, he isn't as smart as me. When I was his age, I was in the fourth grade. Not a lot of people are as smart as me.

Just then, I hear a loud thud. "Nya!" Freddie grabs onto me. What was that? "I think they're here." He whispers. He can't be right...

My mom is in our room in an instant, "Kids. Let's go. There are people downstairs who want to see us." I then see a solider standing a few feet behind her. "Let's go, Freddie." When he doesn't move, I give him a little push, "Freddie, now." He crawls into my mother's arms.

We make our way down the stairs. I glance at mom for an explanation. She simply shakes her head. I don't know.

I then place my gaze on the solider; he's wearing a blinding red jacket and holds an expensive gun. I know our government fell, is this the new one? I want to ask, but know better than to question a man with a loaded weapon.

In our den, two other soldiers wait for us. "Name," one demands of my mother. "D-Daphne Vince." She replies. He nods and pulls out what appears to be a scanner of some sort. A hologram of block letters appears. It reads: ZONE THREE. What?

The man chuckles, "Not too smart, huh?" My mom only furrows her brow and readjusts my brother on her waist. "His name?" My mom tells the man Freddie's name. ZONE FOUR. He chuckles once again, "Even the boy has a higher IQ than you."

He then turns to me, "Name?" "Nya Vince." He scans me. ZONE SIX. The solider doesn't chuckle. "Wow. You're a genius." He then turns to his co-workers. "You know the drill. I'll take these two to their zones. The girl, take her to Captain, he'll brief her on our plans." What is going on?! They nod, and I'm being grabbed by the writs and dragged out. I try to wriggle my body out, but I can't. I turn back to my family. What do I say? What's going on? I just let out a wail and let tears soak my face.