eliminated

:2:

what to listen to while reading this chapter:
"dystopic" -jo blankenburg

•~•

the knock on my door shocked me out of my peaceful slumber.

"im here to collect delilah haywood for the eliminating." a gruff male voice said.

its time. i realized with a jolt. i opened the door and found an official standing there. he had dark hair, like mine, and light eyes. he looked just a little older than me, maybe eighteen? i looked at the stars on his uniform. everyone has them. they are a special code the society uses so anyone can look at you and instantly figure out your age. just another way they control us.

sure enough, there were three stars that read five and one more that said three. he tapped his foot impatiently, making it seem as though the whole earth was shaking below my feet. that's not possible, i scolded myself. get a grip.

two can play at this game. i leaned against the door frame in a sassy, almost challenging way. "its lila." i snapped. they were about to kill me anyways, so i figured i might as well have some fun and be disrespectful to the officials while im at it.

my parents, my friends, and basically everyone else wondered why i hated the name delilah. my name. it's because i wasn't named for me. i was named for someone else. someone wonderful and kind and intelligent that this society didn't deserve.

i could almost her what she'd say to me if she were still here. still alive. come on now, lila. your poor parents! you ended up just like your useless eliminated aunt delilah.

i was named after the person who really understood my curiosity and got why i questioned the society. we were both the same. we always wanted to know, not how, not when, but why. we understood each other.

when she was eliminated, my whole world crumbled. i felt lost and alone. i stopped asking questions. i kept things to myself. i got angry. they made me this way. the society made me this way.

and even though i was named after her, the only person who was ever my friend, i still hated it.

because it means everything to me.

and it means nothing to my parents. to everyone.

and every time i hear her name — my name, something inside me dies a little more.

"get out." the official said nastily. "don't worry about your belongings. the waste disposal will be here to pick those up later."

i huffed indignantly and stepped out. instantly, he handcuffed me and shoved me out of the door.

"my parents!..." i began to say, struggling against the restraints, but he held me tight.

"they're not here." he said and my heart sank. i wont be able to say goodbye. i realized. i choked back a sob, but now i wasn't sad. i was just angry.

as we were walking to the elimination center, i looked at his name tag. "sean carver. huh. interesting name." i teased, just to annoy him.

he glared at me. "you're not supposed to speak to me, delilah."

that was the final straw. anger surged through my muscles and i kicked him square in the jaw. he grunted and rubbed the side of his head.

"do i need to cuff your legs and carry you there too?" he said sternly.

i blinked innocently at him. "i mean you can if you want to." i grinned.

he sighed. "lets go. and not another word."