It’s just you. I tell myself. My heart slams against my ribs and my gaze falls to the empty corner of the classroom. There was something— Abji digs her sharp nails into my arm. “Better pay attention, the guard is here.” My head jerks up, and I see Abji looking at me with worried eyes. I’ve seen this look too many times before, every week the guard visits this classroom. I slide my hand into hers and give her hand a tight squeeze. There’s nothing there, it’s just you. I told myself. Swallowing hard, I turn my attention to the front of the classroom, where Miss Murphey stood, her hands gripping the white fabric of her uniform. Her lips are pressed into tight line, attempting to hide her obvious panic. After all, it’s the selection. The 3rd one we’ve had this year. The third one this year. The words echo in my mind and my gut twist into a tight knot. Three times this year, students were dragged away. Anyone could be selected. Anyone. My grip around Abji’s hand tightens. Four soldiers march towards the back of the room, to the single row of students left. Each is dressed in white and black armor with a black helmet. A red tattoo on their necks indicates they are soldiers for the Kron. A gun is secured to their hip, meant to intimidate. Two jagged, silver blades are secured to their back for easy access. They hold a small cylinder object in one hand and a magma screen in the other. On my left, Dephy grabs my hand so hard her knuckles turn white. I scoot closer to my sister, gently rubbing her palm with my thumb. “Everything will work out.” I whisper to her. She looks up at me with glassy eyes. “How do you know?” I can’t answer the question because the truth is, I don’t know. I don’t know if everything will work out if one of us is selected. The guards make their way through the rows, grabbing students' wrists, and collecting a sample of their blood. My gut twists when a guard grabs an older boy's wrist, seated next to Abji. “Name.” “Ryder Reeds.” A needle emerges from the cylinder, and I watch in horror as he jabs it into his arm. He doesn’t even flinch. A holographic image appears with information. Age, date of birth, adress etc. It flashes red. The guard removes the cylinder, and yanks Ryder up from his seat. “Go stand with the others,” My eyes widen as Ryder walks towards the group of kids standing in the front of the room, their eyes wide with horror. 12 kids. Before today, we had 31 students. And when the school year started, we had 80 students. A sickening thought enters my mind. Soon, no one will be left. “Name.” “Abji F-felps.” The guard grabs Abji’s wrist, and she yelps. Abji flinches as the guard jabs the needle into her arm. I suck in a breath as a holographic image appears. A B J I F E L P S DATE OF BIRTH: 932 EIGHTH ERA AGE: 14 HEIGHT: 5 FEET 7 INCHES ADDRESS: 0032 BLOOD TYPE: O A moment passes. Then another. Nothing. I exhale. Then the image flashes red. A cry escapes my lips. No. They can’t take Abji. Abji stands up slowly and lets go of my hand. “Good bye Lo,” I grab her wrist and she pulls away. “No!” The guard grabs my wrist before I can do anything else. I watch in horror as Abji joins the group of students. 13 selected. 18 left. My eyes fill with tears. Abji is gone. “Name.” “L-lotta Wopd.” I turn to see Dephy’s eyes glued to the needle in my arm. The holographic image appears as my blood enters the cylinder.
L O T T A W O P D DATE OF BIRTH: 932 EIGHTH ERA AGE: 14 HEIGHT: 5 FEET 4 INCHES ADDRESS: 0121 BLOOD TYPE: B Tears blurred my vision, and I blinked hard. There was nothing to cry about. Abji wasn’t gone, she was selected. My heart cracked. No, she was gone. At least when I’m selected I’ll hopefully be with Abji. I waited for the image to turn red. But it never came. Instead, the image flashed a bright yellow. I heard Dephy sigh with relief, and I gave her hand a gentle squeeze. The guard removed the needle, pressed a button and another needle emerged. My brow furrowed, as the needle entered my wrist. The cylinder beeps and the needle is removed from my arm. I turn to Dephy. She stares at the cylinder, her face expressionless. Please, please, please. “Name.” “Dephy Wopd.” Her voice is surprisingly firm and steady. Dephy barely flinches as the needle enters her arm. I squeeze her hand tighter as the blood enters the cylinder. Please, please, please. Dephy didn’t deserve to be selected. She didn’t deserve to be a prisoner to the people of the Kron. No one deserved to be “selected”. D E P H Y W O P D DATE OF BIRTH: 936 EIGHTH ERA AGE: 10 HEIGHT: 4 FEET 7 INCHES ADDRESS: 0121 BLOOD TYPE: B Please, please, please. The image flashed yellow, and I exhaled slowly. Dephy was safe. She turned to me and smiled. I forced a small smile. I looked over to where Abji was being pushed out the door with the other students. Her brown eyes met mine and the only thing I saw was fear. Goodbye, Ji. I mouthed. Then she was gone.
