Another morning, another day. But it's not just another morning. I was awoken by the government anthem playing over the speakers throughout our house. Awaiting for a message, most likely a 'friendly reminder' to pick up the rubbish in the park or keep speakers switched on, I have a dreading feeling in my stomach. Ryan and I hadn't spoken a word on the way home. We pedalled our bicycles back to my house where he walking me inside and said goodbye, before leaving again. It pains me to see him leave me on bad terms, if something were to happen and that sharp glare was our last memory of each other I would be destroyed.
"Good morning everybody, I hope you've all slept well. We apologise for alerting you this early in the morning but we have an important message to deliver to you all, it can not wait."
Something tells me that this isn't another notification telling us to pick up after our dogs in the park.
"There is a recently scheduled rotation due to occur tonight at 7 pm. It will take a full 12 hours and when you wake up at 7 am the next morning you will be fully rotated. We are dearly sorry for the inconvenience but it is necessary for the power and safety of our government."
And with that the iconic triad is played and the speaker turns silent again.
I run. I burst out the door ignoring Mums questions and run to Ryan's house. Trees blur on the side of the footpath and all I can feel is the pounding of my feet on the cement path. As I stand outside his house I see his father mowing the lawn.
"Good morning Beth, is there anything I can do for you today?" He politely asks.
"Do you know where Ryan is?" I ask
"He is at the park, he rode his bicycle down" he says.
I assume he means the park that I met him in, so I take off to go there. I follow the stone path through the park to the bench where I first spoke to Ryan and sure enough he is sitting there with his hands in his head.
I walk over to him slowly as if he may jump up and bite me at any moment.
"Ryan..."
"It's because of me. This whole rotation bullshit. The only reason they're doing it is to stop us from seeing each other."
"Ryan that's unlikely. There's billions of people in the world that could be to blame." I say with a calm tone.
"But how many of them have discovered the governments weakness?"
I am quiet. I do not know how to respond to something that could be so true. I sit next to him and put my hand on his knee.
"Beth, why are you still here? I could get you into so much trouble, yet you still stay." He says as he embraces me.
"Because I don't see the point in leaving what we have to rot in the corner. We are a perfect team, there's nothing we can't do together. I don't care if I end up dead by the end of it, as long as I die in your arms I will be at peace."
"You're insane, it's what I love about you most." He says, still holding me to his side.
"It's almost 3 pm. We don't have much longer before we are forced apart." I say, with a sinking feeling in my stomach.
"I won't let that happen, I can't be without you." Ryan says
"There's nothing we can do, once we are in our new lives it will be as if this all never happened."
"Not right away, the first hour is for settling in to your new body, right? You still remember your previous life. Even the next day small details remain." I nod in agreement, curious to see where he is going with this, "As soon as you get up I want you to find a piece of paper and a pen and right down the location of the coffee shop I took you too. Write down exactly why you need to go there. I want you to meet me there in exactly 6 months, this should supply you with enough time to make the money needed for a plane or to escape your family."
"Ryan, are you sure this will work? We could be completely different ages, or worse, the same gender. And how will I know it's you?"
"You will know, when you arrive I want you to wear a green shirt with red pants. It's an unlikely combination so it should be easy for us to identify each other."
"Okay, I'll be there." I say, as my insides churn. So many things could go wrong and I don't like the chances of finding the exact place.
"I'll be there every 6 months just in case you can't get there."
And with that we get up to leave. Ryan holds me in his arms for what feels like a lifetime, but it still isn't long enough. parting with him is a worse punishment than anything I can imagine and it's by far the hardest thing I've ever done.
I wonder if I'll ever see him again
YOU ARE READING
The Rotation
Teen Fiction"And what are you feeling now?" I ask, timidly. "At this very moment? I am in regret." "Regret of what?" "Of this" Imagine if you could change who you are every four years. All of your mistakes and regrets would disappear, you were a new pers...
