The System

Chapter 7

Hello darling readers! Thank you for being so patient, this one took a lot of time and so it's longer than most other chapters! At first I just got really bored of the whole idea, and then i started writing other stories which i got caught up in.

Anyway, here's the chapter, please comment and vote if you like it!

I stood at the end of her bed staring down at the two outfits in front of me, my hair still wet and dripping down my back from the shower I'd just taken. Meeting Harry was going to be a big deal, I already knew that, but did that mean I had to dress nicely for him? Let's be honest, it wasn't like he was going to make an effort for me. Both outfits seemed to be mediocre. A plain top with a plain skirt, or a plain dress.

Considering how plain I was myself, I saw it fitting that my clothes matched. Sighing, I picked up the dress and threw it on. A rebel would hardly be concerned by my fashion choices.

I had been shaken by the words on Ben's note. What did he mean we were going to finish what we started? I was terrified that he was planning to get me pregnant. What if I refused? Would he force me? I did not know if that was a crime, considering that they were legally bonded, but if it was, I had no idea how to report it. I'd never been part of or witnessed a crime before. Everything in Eriton just seemed to work out.

I had another half an hour before I had to leave home and travel to Sharon's. It turned out that idle hands create nervous minds. What if Harry said no? I hadn't contemplated this idea yet, but this was my worst fear. I was not sure that I would be able to cope with a life-time sentence in Eriton and I was certain that I could not escape by myself. Unless I found a really long pole and vaulted myself across the wall. But even then, the Authorities would catch me before I could do it. And I was unlikely to just find a really long pole.

The house was pristine - I had made sure that I had cleaned before I showered - after all I had been up since the early hours of the morning. Nothing needed to be done, so I was stuck in the horrible situation of waiting for the clocks to move.

For the next half an hour I sat at the kitchen table watching the hands of the clock slowly move on. It would have been therapeutic if I had been stressed, however the boredom was almost choking me and I felt myself becoming more and more eager to leave the door. But you could never just wander the streets unnoticed in Eriton.

Five minutes before I was due to leave, I got up and bolted out the door, being sure to bring my keys with me this time. I could stroll leisurely to Sharon's house; not too fast as to be suspicious, but not slow enough to get bored again. I was actually going to be early for being early.

 Sharon's house came into view, and I found it difficult to hold back. The just off-white exterior matches my own home's, but the grandeur of the driveway; the ornaments and the huge windows - through which you could see the expensive furnishings - set this house apart from the majority of Eriton.

I strode up the driveway with purpose, exuding a confidence I did not feel. The possibility that Harry was going to say no was taunting me. Life was unbearable in Eriton and an escape was the shining beacon of hope that had lit up my life.

It truly amazed me that in the span of 24 hours my life suddenly had a certain sparkle about it. I was so tantalised by this prospect that everything was more bearable. I could look at my boring life and think "well it's only for a little while longer". It was a dangerous way for me to be thinking - I hadn't been told yes yet.

 I didn't bother knocking, knowing that Oliver was long gone and Sharon would be in the kitchen as she always was.

The kitchen was at the back of the house and was vast - and just like the rest of Sharon's house it was complete luxury. All black and white and dark wood. There were counter tops all along the left side of the room, and an island in the middle where the sink was. The back wall was dominated by large glass doors and windows,which usually showed the sprawling lawn beyond, but the drapes were shut. To the right was a huge glass table which Sharon swore she would never eat from because it's "bad taste to eat where the food is made". I always felt horribly inferior when I thought of the small, homely kitchen back at my house. I doubted that if I stayed in Eriton I would ever live like this.