Never cross it. No matter what anyone says or does to make you cross, don't EVER do it.
We were told to never cross the line. We meaning everyone: every child, every adult, everyone. Our parents would tell us about what dangers could be beyond the l...
Delilah I was born March 6, 2041. My parents named me Delilah not after the flower, but because they wanted me to be an exotic daughter. They thought their chances of me being unique would be higher, if they named me exotically.
Everyone in our small city of Westen is as close to perfection as possible. We are all born beautiful and intelligent with flawless personalities. Perfect hair, eyes, teeth, and smiles. No one is overweight or ugly. There is a simplistic system in society set out for us, with simple rules and privileges.
We get a list when we go into our junior year which we can pick and choose our future. I picked simple things: Journalist, gymnastics, theatre, and music. But it doesn't matter anyways. We get everything supplied to our homes based on yearly checks. If we were following the rules and being good citizens, we get everything supplied to us at different ages. For example, when we are born, our parents get supplied everything they will need for us to survive in Years 1 through 4. Year 5 we get our school passes and everything we will need till Year 7.
At Year 7, the same thing happens, but you also get your first books and start to make your own decisions. The big ones are Years 12 to Year 18. Year 12, you decide what you will excel in and what you will rank in school as. Year 13, you get your first phone, which for me was the Universal Tech 638, and all the supplies. Year 14, you gain your dating pass, and you upgrade all your technology. Year 15, you get your drivers pass, and you prepare for the Excel years of high school. Year 16, you take the Excel test, to provide your knowledge of the past years of your life. If you fail with a seventy or below, you get pushed out into society, losing the privilege of Year 17 through 18's Excel program.
Luckily, all of my friends passed, including me. If we hadn't passed, our parents would never forgive us. Tomorrow is my first day of Year 17's Excel program, but I'm not nervous. If anything, I'm excited to see everyone again. I place in the popular group of teens, but we don't really care. We are nice to everyone and we basically are all friends. But, I'm still not nervous. I rarely ever get nervous.
I write on my holoboard that Meg and Justin are coming to pick me up at 7:30 tomorrow, so I need to get up at 6. I get up and look around my room and just sigh. Maybe someday I'll get out of this city and finally be free. Everyone always thinks that we have everything and that everything is absolutely perfect. But it's not. I can see through the cracks and holes in society. The way that the government patrols around everyday, waiting for someone to mess up for their own amusement.
Sometimes, I think about running away, but I couldn't do that to Meg and Justin. After what happened with Will, I could never leave them. They mean the world to me because they are the only other ones who understand. I sit back in my bed and look at the swirling clouds above the glass ceiling. The beautiful stars and the darkness of my room slowly push me into a dreamless sleep.
"Delilah! Get up!" echoes through my house as I am jolted awake.
I glance over at the clock and sigh with relief when I see that I only slept in 20 minutes. I get up and turn on my outfit dispenser as my phone buzzes with a text from Megan.
Hey you ready for the first day at the destruction of happiness corporation.
I laugh at how sarcastic my best friend can be and respond.
Yep, I'm almost geared up. But first, I need to mentally prepare myself for the torture. And... I need to get ready.
I look at the outfit the dispenser put together for me, and I am shocked by the dispenser's fashion sense. In front of me is a light rose colored cut out crop top and a flowy black mini skirt that matches perfectly. On the side is a pair of strappy black heels and golden hoop earrings. The outfit makes me appear super fit and happy. My blonde hair gets lightly curled by one of the other dispensers and my makeup is applied perfectly.
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I get jolted out of my thoughts by the sound of a car horn. I look out my window to see that Megan is waiting impatiently and yelling for me to hurry up. I chuckle and head downstairs.
My mom fidgets with her bracelets and sighs, "Hey, remember that your father and I won't be home till Saturday because we will be at the convention."
"Okay, love you, but I need to get going." I say before Megan can honk her horn another time.
"Love you too, now don't be late for your first day of Year 17" she comments as she walks towards the door.
I step outside and hurry over to Meg's 2057 Freedom Orbit as she playfully glares at me.
I laugh and say,"Aw, is someone grumpy this morning?"
She hits me and laughs, but suddenly turns serious again.
"What's wrong?"
"I got a note from Will yesterday morning. It said" She takes a deep breath. "It said to be prepared for something really, really bad."
Author's Note
Hey everyone. This is my first book and it is probably filled with errors. I would really appreciate any votes or comments that can help me change and better my writing. Someday, I plan to actually publish this into a hardcover book, and any feedback you guys say will help that dream of mine.
