SEVENTEEN years to Live

1 ●○► AT THE LAKE

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CHAPTER ONE

●○► AT THE LAKE

There is a moment of silence between Heather and me. Heather looks into my eyes and crosses her arm on mine. “Okay,” she says, her foot stepping forward to the Writing Supplies. “Let’s buy the dairy and the notebook now.”

I take a deep breath and sigh. “Okay.”

There are three rectangular tables at the Writing Supplies. The writing materials are lying on top of each table. There are placards indicating the supply too. They are Diaries, Notebooks, and Papers & Pens printed on a laminated coupon bonds.

As we get closer to the tables, I see a security guard walking nearby. Well, stealing is very prone in places like this, and the store has no cameras to record what is happening inside. So far, I think there are seven or more guards keeping an eye inside the store. When you are caught stealing something, even if it’s small or big, you will be reported to the government and you will be executed on the day you’re caught. That’s how strict Depton Republic is.

“Oh,” Heather says quietly, “there’s a guard.”

“Well, what do you expect then?” I murmur.

“A hot guy with tattoos, of course,” she answers.

Few days ago, I remember what Heather told me about her getting completed. Being complete is when a girl finally lost her virginity and is already pregnant after making out. In Depton Republic, boys are asked for permission whether they like to have sex with girls. They say our culture is very different from the past. Because a few hundred years ago it was boys who asked permissions from girls to have sex. Maybe it is due to the fact that girls have fewer years to live.

“We’ll ask someone if we find someone, okay?” I tell Heather.

She rolls her eyes at me. “Promise me that, Mary, or I’ll pray you won’t have a child.”

“Oh, Heather. I promise I’ll do it soon for you.”

“All right. Let’s go.”

We reach the tables at the Writing Supplies. Heather takes a look at the notebooks in the Notebooks table while I search the diary I have planned to buy at the Diaries.

While picking, I picture the diary inside my head. It has a pink leather cover and a chain with two hearts as its lock. I look at the diaries one by one, checking if the pink diary is still there. When I come into the other side of the table, I catch a glimpse of the chain. I go to the side where it is and see that the cover is pink. I do not hesitate. I pull the diary out of the pile immediately.

“Heather?” I call out, not looking at her. “Have you found the notebook yet?”

My eyes are fixed on the diary in my hands. Heather never responds to me after a few minutes. Then she walks over to me, and asks, “Is that the diary?”

I nod in reply.

“Okay, let’s go to the counter then.” Heather pulls my hand and drags me to the counter. She takes the diary in my hands when we reach the cashier. Afterward, when the diary and notebook has been bar-coded, the cashier puts a sticker on them that means we really purchased the supply.

The store never bags the purchases if it can be carried by the hands. We walk to the exit now and the guard checks us up again. He checks the sticker on our purchases as well, because without the sticker on it means that it has been stolen.