The last bell

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The halls were very empty today. Only the classes who were seniors came. That meant only 20 classes came in to school. Everyone else would be watching us on their televisions. School said it was an important thing to watch because it taught us that there is an importance in sacrifice.

Today was the first round. Teacher would explain it again when I got to class in a minute as if we didn't already memorize everything. Today they would pick one person, out of a bowl with all our names in it. It was like a lottery that no one wanted to win. If you were picked you would be killed in front of the class. Anyone who objected, or showed any signs of distress was killed with them. As long as I wasn't picked I knew I would be fine, and I had 1/30 chances of being chosen so it was highly unlikely. Thinking about it I was so glad that Teacher told us that we weren't allowed to have friends, that made it not as big of a deal to watch one of us die.

I got to class and sat down in the same spot, surrounded by the same people, looking at the same projecting screen, the same Teacher standing infront as had been the last 4 years. It was all the same, but i felt like i was seeing it differently today. Today i saw not as a place i loved to come to learn, but as the place i might die. Today was a scary day. But of course it would be rude to show fear because that could frighten other students, that was one of Teacher's favorite things to tell us. She had repeated it many times.

I was at the class door, and went to go sit down at my desk. I looked around and everyone was sitting down into their seats and the ones who were already sitting were stiff in their chairs, arms folded politely in their laps and they stared straight. I was glad they followed Teacher's advice because if I knew for sure they were all scared, I would be much more frightened. Luckly the room just seemed like an awkward silence where no one knew what to say. It relaxed me.

Finally Teacher walked in. Today, instead of wearing her usual gray dress, sweater and tights, her outfit was all red. Red, the color of games she had taught us. During that lesson she also taught us that blue was the color of mourning, I wonder who's family would be wearing blue this evening.

I looked around just in time to see everyone's clothing change to red. Teacher had said that there are special fibers in the clothing that School could change the color between red, blue and yellow, but yellow was the color for if you ran away or were missing so no one was ever seen it that color. School hadn't used the color in hundreds of years, and when they had, it was when they were first put in charge. Teache said it was more for safety than nessisarity.

She started to call attendance, I was first like always.

"Harley Argyris" her normal one tone voice was almost comforting. And I raised my hand for what seemed like the first time in forever since time was passing so slow today.

She got through attendance, in the same amount of time as every other day. But today there was no lesson. Today we would go over the rules for the day and the we would start the playoffs.

Today was called the Lottery after a story by Shirley Jackson. Teacher said the name showed how one idea could go from being so uncivilized to a way to learn about sacrifice. That is how Teacher started. When we had watched previous play offs at home Teachers always started off with that. Today, on person would be choosen out of the black, glass bowl. One name for our Class would be chosen and that person would be given something to drink, and we would watch them die. If anyone showed any sighns of distress, they would be killed along side the other person. Teacher told us that it was supposed to represent that sometimes you have to sacrifice one person for the greater good of everyone else. But the person of the class could stay alive if they managed to survive the drink the longer than any other.

Once Teacher finished explaining this, a Teacher from one of the younger classes came in wearing all red like us, carrying the tinted glass bowl. We could see edges of papers pressed up on the side of the glass, but couldn't read any names. The bowl was about half full of papers and half full of the fear that controlled us.

The person put the bowl down on the desk, nodded her head in respect to Teacher and left. Teacher turned to us and put her hand in the bowl and pulled a name out. As she unfolded the paper I don't think any one breathed.

"Lucas Paroli " Teacher read, I thought I had heard wrong at first but everyone was staring at her. Lucas was polite though and didn't let anyone see he was scared, holding his head high and the only reason I knew he was scared was by her trembling hand.

I had once read a book were everyone pretended to be this one person so the person didn't get in trouble. But that wouldn't work because Teacher knew who Lucas was. But I remembered a question Alice had asked as Lucas started walking towards the front of the room. Alice never asked questions, unlike me, so this one stood out. It was the first time we were learning about the rules of the Lottery. Alice had asked Teacher if some one could sacrifice themselves to save the other person. Teacher had said in theory yes, but she threatend that School looked down on that and it would be rude to take away someone's opportunity to sacrifice themselves for the greater good.

But I didn't wasn't to be rude, I wanted to save my childhood friend. I wanted to save the boy who held my hand and telling me about his big brother to comfort me on our first walk home. I wanted to save the boy who's brother couldn't loose him.

I stood up, my chair skweeking and now every one turned to look at me, even Lucas stopped walking towards the front to look at me.

"I sacrifice myself to save Lucas" I say calmly and still standing by my desk, my palms flat on the desk.

Lucas looks at Teacher, who nods at him to go back to his seat and he does. As he sits down, Alice who is sitting in the desk next to me stands up.

"I sacrifice myself to save Harley" she says. This wasn't good, her dieing would be as bad as Lucas.

But then, a girl on the other side of her stands up, repeating what I had said, but to save Alice. And then a boy on the other side of me saved that girl. And it went around the class, until i was saving Lucas again. But before it could go around again, teacher made us stop. She said that I had started it so i needed to end it, she waved me up to the top of the class room. I stood up confidently though, i now knew the class was behind me. They were my non-friends-friends, my friends who werent aloud to be my friends.

I walked up to the front of the class head held high. I looked teacher in the eye, which I'm not sure had been ever done. She holds the cup out and i take it. I dont care about being rude, i turn and look at all my classmates and out the cup, with the clear liquid that smelled sweet to my lips.