Systematic Hearts

{ 21 }

I walk back to my room and push the door open, "Hey, do you want to go to dinner with me?" I ask Burk.

He wiggles his eyebrows at that, "Are you asking me on a date?" I grin and shake my head to shoo the question away. I don't know if it's a date. It hits me now, I need time. Time is key. Last time I was rushed. That was not a good turn out. Hopefully Burk and time is.

Burk gets up and walks over to me. I start walking back out the door, but Burk gently grabs my arm. He looks at me with a concerned look. "You alright?" He asks pulling me closer to him. He doesn't break eye contact.

His eyes are a sea I wouldn't mind getting lost in, the beautiful waters taking me in. I nod a little too fast, "Mm hm. Just hungry." I stutter out. His eyes linger but he lets go and smiles.

I walk out of the room. What I said wasn't completely a lie, I am so hungry. Burk is close behind me as I enter the main room, or whatever Alice called it. There are at least seventy people eating right now. To the right the food line isn't long, we must've gotten here a little late. I go to the line and grab a plate. Burk mimicked my movements. What looks like a chef stands right after the plates, talking like he and others have known each other for years. Which I don't doubt. "These are new folks!" He bellows.

"Hi. I'm Andy," I say putting my hand out. He takes it and shakes.

"And I'm Burk," Burk shakes the chef's hand too.

The chef smiles and nods, "I am Chef Anderson," he nods at us, "Nice to meet you. Take as much food as you like!" He bellows out another laugh.

As much food as we want? At the compacts you get a small amount of things like jell or oatmeal. Not much food. The System says not much is left. But apparently not. I go down the line of food, stopping first at the pasta with red sauce. I take a large scoop. Burk already seems to have a very large sandwich on his plate. A few foods down the line I grab some fruit and nuts. I walk over to the drinks table, there are only two drinks: milk and water. I have never tasted milk before, too expensive in the stores. I look over at Burk and smirk. I grab the white pitcher and pour two glasses. I hand one to Burk and clink glasses. Then I take a sip, "Cheers, for getting me here."

"Tell that to your sister, not me." We both fall silent after that the cold liquid coating our throats. Mm. "Speaking of your sister," he points over to a blonde girl waving us over. Alice, and Carson next to her, I start following Burk over. I sit down next to Alice and giggle.

"What?" She asks giggling a little too.

"Later," I say in a whisper. Carson and Burk just stare a us. It's nice to share secrets with a sister again. Even if Carson was a part of this one.

We all dig into our food without talking anymore. The food is too good for words. But deep down I need to figure out what is going on here.

...

Burk and Carson are still in the dinning hall, but alice took me to the library to have some time alone. The library is incredible. There are so many books, many I have never heard of. Love stories, there here too. None were allowed in the System. I wonder what else isn't allowed in the System.

"So," Alice says to get me concentrated on her instead of the book shelves.

"So, what is happening. I mean, the fog, this place, the food even." I take a deep breath, "And the other halves?"

Alice sits down at an old brown table and huffs, I sit across from her, "The System has always been wrong. People trusted it thousands of years ago only because of how many people were getting divorces and how many people were staying single. It was a stupid idea but people thought it would work. People thought that if their perfect match was wearing the other half of their necklace everything would work perfectly. Well, how can determine a perfect match?" She looks at me. I don't know if I am supposed to answer, so I just shrug a little. "You can't. And neither could they. The System just looked at everyone in the systems, hence the name, and through them together in random pairs. Sometimes they missed someone like Burk. And pretended they didn't. Those people had to just keep looking. Other people trusted them so they fell in love. A few people didn't though. And they were either the examples or the leaders of the many rebel groups."

I interrupt, "Examples?"

She frowns, "There just that, if you 'broke' someone's heart or just didn't fall in love with your other half, and made it clear that you didn't, you were killed. Simple as that. In the System not falling love is a treason. Stupid right?" I nod. "Anyways, the people that escaped their death sentence started these groups in the slum areas of the country. The System found out and started fogging the areas they thought we were in. You know this was thousands of years ago and most of the rebel groups died off, wether of age or the fog killings. Out of one hundred or so there are three groups left. The System thinks we are dead though." She smiles and waves her hand around as if telling me we are lucky here.

"Why is the System still fogging? That is, if were dead?" I say the word dead in a short breath. "I mean what if the System doesn't believe you are dead? What if they are making the people think your dead? Like there is no hope left for them?" All of my statements are turning into questions.

"Thats a thought. But, the fogging, are now just to wipe out some of the poor people. The System thinks it is harder to be happy when you are poor. So they just get rid of them with natural causes." She frowns.

"They don't even try to help them." I mutter. I lay my head on my arms. The wood table inches form my face. "They don't even try to help them." I say again. Alice slides into the chair next to mine and rubs my back.

"We do."

But what I have believed has my only hope doesn't. The System is a monster on its own.

...

I open the door to my room and walk in. Burk is on his bed with plaid pajama pants and a t-shirt on. He smiles at me, "Hey," I smile a little.

"They don't even help them." I mutter. He looks at me, I shake my head. "Sorry, later." He gets up and walks over to me. His arms wrap around me. My head fits into the crook of his shoulder. I feel his muscles relax at my touch. I swallow the knot in my throat. "Where did you get the pajamas?" He laughs.

"The dresser, but the one for you tonight are on the nightstand, I washed them and one. They smelled like wood." I laugh and walk over. I pick up the thin white night gown. "Thanks" he smirks. He walks out of the room. I take off my shirt and put on the nightgown. It is almost completely translucent in the stomach. You can't see anything bad, but you can see my belly button. It is short too. I look in the dresser for something else, but all of the pajamas are like that. Even the boys pajama shirt. weird. I throw on the hoody I wore here and walk outside. Burk is walking back from the bathroom and he nudges me when we pass.

In the girls bathroom, all of the girls have the same nightgown. Few. I wash my face and brush my teeth. I have to ask the girls where to get a tooth brush. Wendy, I found out, told me.

Back in the room Burk is already in bed on the bottom bunk. I take off my hoody and out my tooth brush in a drawer. Then I turn out the lights and climb in the top bunk. The thin sheets hardly cover me.

Thinking about today sends tears out my eyes. And thinking Burk is asleep I let out a sob. "Hey, you want to come down here?" He apparently wasn't asleep. I swallow down the rest of my tears and climb out of my bed. I lie down next to Burk. His warmth is so nice. He covers us up with the thin sheet. "Okay?"

"Okay." I whisper back.

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Okay first of all I am so sorry for not writing for like two weeks. School is actually kinda stressful right now. And I am so busy! I really am trying to write more. And I think this was my longest chapter. Still kinda short, I know. But I hope you guys are enjoying it! Also did you guys like that TFIOS reference at the end?