The Broken Record Player

Chapter 2

        It's morning again, I can tell because the sun is shining past the curtains. I give my arms and legs a stretch, and get out of bed, hopefully not making enough noise to wake up Alana. I tip-toe down the stairs, to see my mother making some toast.

"Good morning." I say, still half asleep. My mother looks like she took a 10 mile run already, she looks energetic, and excited for some reason.

"3 days, are you ready?" Her back is facing me, which means there is a lower chance of her noticing I am about to lie.

"Couldn't be more ready." I force a smile to my face, hopefully not too fake. She turns around from the toaster and hugs me, tightly but not too tight.

"Angels can be disguised as daughters, you know that right?" She lets go of me a little, and looks into my eyes. Her smile makes me smile, then she kisses me on my cheek, and gets the toast out of the toaster. Being a family means you are part of something very wonderful. It means you will love and be loved for the rest of your life. No matter what.

"Alana!" I scream, "Breakfasts ready!" When Alana comes down, she is surprisingly dressed for the day. She looks as jolly as my mother does. What is so important about this day? Or is everyone just in a good mood.

        We all start to eat our food given on the table when Peter finally comes downstairs.

"Peter, you're late! Where have you been?" My mother looks more surprised than angry, Peter is usually the first one down.

"Some scientist teenagers thought it would be funny to get some of us at 2 in the morning all the way to the testing area to 'collect some news'," Peter looks down and the lifts his arms up to scratch his neck, "It was all a joke, but if you want the 'news', here it is." He slams a messy piece of paper on the table and then pushes it my way. I pick it up and it reads, 'Aliens are coming from the moon, get ready to fight Redders. - many thanks, Scientists' I fold it back up and put it back on the table.

"Stupid, that's what they are, as if anyone should believe that." I say, I notice that I should of read it out loud, when I see Alana and mother reading it together.

"I know, anyway sorry I was late for breakfast, my excuse is right there!" He points at the piece of paper, his finger shaking as he does. I decide to change the conversation, to just get Peter's mind off it for a while.

"Where is father?" I look down to my food after I ask, and wait for an answer.

"Some Redders got really drunk last night, and have made a mess, so all of the men over 20 in our class needs to clean up the place." She looks tired while she says it, she isn't physically tired though, she is emotionally tired of all of these stupid things going on right now.

"Well I guess it's not really a 'good morning' now is it?" Alana says, to me I think, but I am too busy eating my food to look at her.

"Okay, change of subject, the main questions that you will be asked are, first what is your name, so you would say 'Hello, my name is Peter Row, or Hailey Row, or Alana Star etc. Then they will ask what class you are in, they would ask you to describe it, and talk about what you think of other classes. Try an lie as much as you can, so you can stay in this class, but don't lie too much, or then you will be found out. Okay?" Mother looks energetic again, but still not completely herself.

"What about if they want-" I was cut off with the alarm. This alarm goes off at exactly 8 o'clock in the morning, in every house in my class, to tell us to get to work. My mother waves us goodbye, and I shut the door behind us. Mother has a different job then we do, she helps out around the area. Someone needs to do the job, so as our class is a lot bigger than other classes, most married women do different jobs. It doesn't look as interesting as I wish it would be, if it was more interesting, I would be trying my hardest to get married as soon as possible!