Listed: Book One of The Listed Trilogy

Chapter Nine

 Internet

I feel like I can't breathe, like all of the oxygen in the room has been transformed to a poison gas. I just stare at Lavender, as though my life depends on it, and she stares back. My common sense takes over and I take in a shaky breath, but I can barely feel it enter my lungs.

"I knew this is how you would react." Lavender sighs, and falls back onto her bed.

She stares at the ceiling, but I stare at the wall where she used to be sitting. I take in another breath, and then I let it out. I will myself to breathe normally again, and then push myself to my feet. I walk slowly, tuning out every other sound in the room, to Lavender's side.

"But how?" I ask. She tilts her head slightly so that she can look at me.

"I don't know, I think it was a mistake, but when I asked my guardian, she said that it wasn't a mistake. She said that they purposely Listed me, and I don't know why." she says. I chew on the inside of my cheek while I think.

"Are you really smart?"

"I'm average."

"Are you strong?"

"Can you see me?" she asks sarcastically. I frown, and purse my lips. Why would they List a ten-year-old? Lavender isn't like Laila, who takes in information like her life depends on it, and she's not like the southern kids who have to work tirelessly in fields. So why did they List her? 

"Well, maybe they're trying to make you smarter or stronger." I say, offering little comfort. She scoffs.

"Even if they were, it's against their own laws to List a ten-year-old." she says. I don't say anything, because I know that it's true. It is against the laws that the government made to List a child under the age of eleven. Which leaves the both of us wondering, why did they? Just then Laila comes to Lavender's bed.

"What's wrong?" she asks, a look of concern on her face.

"Nothing." Lavender mutters, which lets me know to not say anything.

"There's obviously something wrong, I can tell by your expressions and how you were talking earlier." she says. I frown.

"Can you just leave us alone?" I growl. She's silent, and I see that she's looking over the situation, then walks back to her bed. Maybe Laila isn't as nice as I thought.

"I don't want anyone else to know, okay?" Lavender asks me. I'm still looking at Laila, who's exploring the desk next to her bed.

"Of course." I say absentmindedly.

"Thanks."she says with a sigh of relief. 

I walk back to my bed, and sit in the wooden chair in front of the desk. I open up a drawer, and find a tablet. I lift it out of the draw, and find a flap with letters, numbers, and other words attached to it. I watch the flap hang off of the tablet, until I finally put the tablet down. I look all around the tablet, but I don't know what it does. I hear a sigh, and look to see Laila walking over to my desk.

"I suppose you haven't seen a tablet or a laptop before, have you?" she asks.

"I don't even know what the word 'laptop' means." I admit. She chuckles slightly, but not a mocking chuckle, a real chuckle.

"Here, it's voice-activated. On." she demands. The tablet lights up, a white screen with a small rectangle and words above it.

"'Enter your name.'" I read aloud. Laila taps the rectangle, and puts her hands in a position on the flap.

"What's your name?" she asks.

"Athena Duncan." I say without hesitation.

Her fingers whip across the keys on the flap, and my name appears in the rectangle. She hits a key on the flap that reads "Enter" and a small circle appears on the screen. Light goes through the circle several times, and then a blue background appears on the screen. Different squares appear on the screen, and Laila taps on a circle with red, green, and yellow around a smaller, blue circle. An image appears, a white background with another rectangle, and the word "Google" above it.