Removed

16

The music is deafening, and flashing lights nearly blind me. As we approach the gaudy mansion, Eva slaps her hands over her ears and halts in her tracks. Too pumped on adrenaline to stop, I grab her arm and drag her behind me. Jared mutters something along the lines of 'what a baby'. Glad Eva didn't hear that and begin bickering with him, I sling open the door to the party.

Adults are modestly drinking and lavishly dressed. Multiple pets ranging from fish to cats inhabit the house, proving these people are indeed loaded. Fancy snacks like sushi cause my mouth to water, but I restrain myself.

A burly guard jogs up to us, seeming to have forgotten he was on door duty. "Whoever was invited, hold out your wrist."

Jared holds out his wrist for the man to scan his Chip. Again, it signals green and the man points to a door labeled 'Teen Room'.

"She's my guest," Jared states before marching through the crowd.

Surprisingly, Cody also holds out his wrist. He claims Eva is his guest and walks off as well. How on Earth did he get an invitation? Was it because of Jared being his cousin?

Snapping out of my thoughts, I move to enter the party, as does Eva. However, the guard holds up a bulky hand and stops us in our tracks. Confused, Eva and I glance at each other. We're guests. Doesn't that give us permission to enter?

The guard rolls his eyes, seeming to judge us since we're obviously not used to these kinds of parties. "Hold out your wrists, please."

I'm not sure why, but I begin to panic. It's not like he can see that my Chip's misplaced due to the faux skin. Still, I feel as though there's a way to determine Chip malfunction.

"We have to make sure you're clean, as in no crime records. The party thrower demanded everyone is to be scanned," the guard elaborates.

After emitting a sigh that blows a stand of hair away from her face, Eva holds out her wrist. The guard seems bored as he scans her Chip with his watch. Immediately, the screen turns green and a list of text information pops up.

"You're good," he nods to Eva.

She shoots me a slightly worried glance as she merges with the crowd, proving I'm not the only one who's nervous.

"Your wrist, please!"

After taking a deep breath, I stick it out. He scans my wrist with his watch. My breath catches in my throat as the screen glows red. Bold black letters proclaim 'Error'. Terror rises within my and my heart hammers in my chest.

Luckily, he rescans it and the screen turns green. I let out a breath of relief.

The guard shoots me a questioning look. "You should probably have your Chip examined."

I rapidly nod, eager to find my friends. Quickly, I merge with the crowd, the stench of alcohol and the sound of loud chatter replacing my thoughts of terror. Trying to calm my frantic heart, I take deep breaths as I push through the crowd of rich adults. Finally, I reach the Teen Room and yank open the wooden door. The room's basically just a large den holding various teenagers, a holographic television, and a black cat. The cat lazily peers at me through one olive eye.

"Hey, what took you so long?" Eva questions, sipping on a pink drink in a clear plastic cup.

The music is slightly lowered and I sigh in relief. Surveying the room, I lean against the light blue wall. Cody leans to my left and Jared is next to him.

"So, how are we going to hear their supposed plans, Autumn?" Cody queries, and I hear the smugness in his voice.

"How did you get invited to this party, Cody?" I rebuttal, mimicking his tone of voice.