The Broken Record Player

Chapter 6

        The next morning I am woken up from a knock on the door. Still half asleep, I walk to the door and open it.

"Morning Hailey. Do you think I can come inside and talk to you?" It's Fiona. The one who interviewed me about Alana. I move to the side, and let her in. She turns to go into the living room.

"I'm just going to let my parents know you are here. I will be rig-"

"Bring them in would you?" I really don't like Fiona. She isn't very nice, I bet she is going to be lovely when my parents come in, she looks like a suck-up.

        I walk into the kitchen, to go and get my parents.

"Someone is here, she is in the living room, she wants to talk to me, and wants you two, as well." I tell both of them, and I can tell they are a little confused.

"Who?" Father asks.

"Fiona. She is a Pop." As soon as I say that, my parents walk to the living room. And I follow them.

"Hello I am Juliet and this is Robert. We are Hailey's parents. Nice to meet you." We all sit down on the sofa in front of Fiona. Fiona is wearing bright pink lipstick and a smart pink dress that goes with the lipstick. The two times I saw her she wore bright colours, but she doesn't over do it. Last time she had bright red lipstick and a red dress. Maybe she has every bright colour in the rainbow, to go with her lipstick.

"Hello, Mr and Mrs Row. I am here because of the tragic incident that happened to Hailey. Firstly since you missed the break, you will have a year like everyone else, and start working again on the 5th of June, next year." My father looks at me and smiles. I don't smile back just yet. I want to hear the other reasons why she is here. "And secondly, I want to talk about sky day. Since you missed the last one I think it is only fair if you take it now. Nothing will change if you stay in your current class. But if you move, then you will take sky day next month again like everyone else, and you won't get the 1 year break." I feel my mothers hand hold onto mine. I can't believe I am going to have sky day today! I could leave this house, I could be separated from my family. I will be. Especially if Alana is staying here. "So if you don't mind, please may you leave, so then we could have the private interview?" My parents without a word, leave the living room.

"What about the family meeting?" I want to be with my family, not by myself.

"We won't have it because your family have already had the interview. Would you like to start?" I nod, remembering to be nice, but I just can't help it. I really don't like Fiona. "Firstly, what is your name?" It's a little of a silly question, as she greeted me with my name when I opened the door. Maybe she is so dumb she forgot my name.

"I am Hailey Row." I reply, really wanting to just leave. But I can't.

"Your full name Hailey. Please can I have your full name." She gets out something from her bag, I try to figure out what it is, but all I see is some paper and a pen. I don't think there is anything on it.

"My full name is Hailey Bella Row." I haven't said my full name for so many years. It sounds strange. Fiona jots down some notes onto her paper.

"Please can I have your current class." I don't know what to say, our class doesn't have a name.

"It is.....The experiment class.... The ones with no name." I'm getting bored now, it isn't what I was expecting.

"Do you like it here? And your family, do you get on with them?" After she jots down something, she looks straight at me, with a big smile on her face. It kind of freaks me out.

"I do like it here. It's very nice, everyone is kind, and all very helpful. I would hate it If I leave here." I try and sound like I should stay, but it doesn't sound like me. "I mean, I love this new experiment. I have dug out quite a lot of mud from he ground recently, well not recently, Because of the coma and all." Maybe some sympathy will help. I don't know, I don't think her brain works like normal brains.

"And your family? Do you get along with them?" My mother always tells me random quotes about families. I think of one quick, think if It will fit in and then say it.

"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." She jots down something for about 2 minutes. I wait there patiently, until she has finished.

"What do you think of each class?" She doesn't look back at me, and starts to write something down again.

"Okay, firstly the scientists, they are great at finding answers, but you have to be clever to be in that class. The Redders, you have a licence to kill, which I don't think you should trust me with. The Judys, I already have answers to everything I need in life. The Pops, I don't want to overlook something, I want to be apart of it. The lefts, well I hope I don't get that 'disease'. The Suns, they are great at getting diseases which I would not like to get myself. And finally my class, the only place I will ever be happy." I end with a big cheesy smile, after a big fat lie. All I want to do is stay here. For now.

        "Thank you for the answers to my questions. If you don't mind leaving to another room, so I can work out what is going to happen." I nod and leave the room. Mother and father are sitting at the table talking quietly. I sit next to them, and join the conversation.

"All done." I pull my chair in closer to the table.

"Do you have results?" Father asks me, I know in my mind that I am leaving, but I don't want to tell them. So I shake my head.

"Hailey, just remember, if you do leave I want to tell you that, your life is a message to the world. Make sure it's inspiring." I will, I promise. I think about the broken record in my family. It's me next, and I will inspire the next generation in the broken record player to keep it going.

        Fiona comes through the living room door.

"I have the information, about Hailey. Would you like me to tell you now?" I look at my parents and they both nod. I turn back at Fiona and nod. "When I asked you about the classes, you had some valid reasons why I should not make you join certain classes, and you left me with one class you wanted to be in. Which is your current class, but due to some issues I have moved you to the Sun class." WHAT! My hands start trembling, I hear my mother walk out of the room.

"The sun class? How could this be?" My father asks, he stands up from his chair, but stays in his spot.

"I'm sorry, but that's the place she belongs to. Please pack up your things, and meet me in your drive in about..." She checks her orange watch "3 hours. See you soon." She walks off without another word. I turn to my dad and hug him.

"I will come back, you know that." His breathing is unusual. He breathes in a lot, but doesn't breathe out as much as he should.

"Do what's best Hailey, for you. Not the family, do what's best for you. Make this risk of leaving. Because most people avoid risks in life so they can make it safely to death. Don't make it safely to death, because that's boring. Make a few bumps on your way." I turn around when I hear mother coming back. She has a black notebook in her right hand.

"Bella, I want you to take this, it's you grandmothers diary. Read it when you are there, I'm sure you know what your grandmother did. Now it's your turn. You can do this." She hands me the diary. I never met my grandmother. She died before I was born. I hug my mother one last time, and leave the kitchen to see Alana. When I get upstairs into my room, I see her on my bed, with 1 suitcase next to her.

"What are you doing?" I ask her. I put the diary on my pillow and sit next to her.

"I packed for you, it's not a way to say leave now, it's a way of making you go to an unknown place with unknown stuff." For some reason it sounds right to do.

"I will come back Alana. I will." I hug her, and we stay like that for a few minutes. "Okay, I need to see Peter now, but I will be back. We could meet at the Loop or something?" She nods, as I leave the room. I slowly close the door, not letting go of the doorknob until it is in place. I turn around to see Peter behind me. He obviously already knows that I am leaving. We aren't that close, but when it gets to me leaving we both get a little emotional.

"I will see you soon? I know you can get out of there before you are meant to." He makes me smile, and that's all I need, that's the best goodbye I will ever get from him.