Exploit

Chapter One

“What the hell is wrong with you boys?” my mother screamed.

     Bode stood up, off the ground, wiped the dust off his shirt and looked at me in concern.

“Brynn, are you okay?” he asked, walking over to me and helping me up.

“I’m fine, my face just kind of hurts” I said.

My mom looked furious, walking over to me. She placed her hands on my shoulders and asked if I was okay. She then looked over at my father.

“I thought you were supposed to protect the people” she said in disgust.

My father, ashamed, walked into his room and shut the door quietly. All that had just happened was so surreal, I felt ashamed that I had caused my father to do such a thing, not only for him slapping me but saying that I did not want to be Sagacious anymore. However, I wasn’t sad that I had said that, part of me was glad. In all honesty, I did not want to be Sagacious anymore. I wanted to be free, loud and outspoken without getting in trouble. I just wanted to be me; I wanted to be able to fit in with the right people…not people I’m forced to try to fit in with.

-

I lay in bed, staring up at nothing but the ceiling, wondering and thinking about what tomorrow was going to bring me. If I was selected or if I died. What if another collection did select me?  Would I be happy in that collection as I dreamed of being or would reality finally set in and I wouldn’t be happy at all? However, at the same time, what if I wasn’t selected…what if I had to stay here, the one place that I didn’t really feel home. My thoughts danced throughout my mind, as I was slowly falling asleep.

I heard my door open and I immediately closed my eyes, pretending as if I were asleep.  I turned my body to where my eyes were facing the wall. I slowly opened my eyes and all I saw was my dark silhouette of my laying side with the light shining in from the hallway. I heard some whispers and the door slowly shutting. I lay there for a couple minutes to make sure that whoever was in my room was gone. I didn’t have the strength to turn myself around again so my eyes, once again, slowly started to close and then all at once, everything was black.

-

I woke up to the sound of a tornado siren whaling from outside. It was the selection siren. It meant that everyone must go to the square of their collection where the two names would be called. I quickly got up and got dressed, fixed my hair and out the door I went. I was nervous for no reason, what did I have to worry? The odds of me being selected were close to none. I was walking on the sidewalk where I looked over and saw my neighbor and the rest of the council members leaving their homes.

I arrived at the square and stood with the kids my age facing the stage where the council members sat, my dad was up there. There was a large, glass bowl with pieces of paper inside with people’s names on it. I don’t think I’ve ever heard silence this loud before. No one was talking or moving, just standing and waiting.

Just then, my father and Maisie Collins got up, out of their chairs and walks towards the microphone.

“Ladies and gentleman of Sagacious” my father started “Welcome to the 86th annual selection”

“Two names will be drawn from the bowl and whoever they are will have the honor of leaving Sagacious and will be selected into a new collection” Maisie said “Jackson Weston, you may have the honors of selecting first”

My father walked over to the large bowl, placed his hand inside and shuffled the papers. He grabbed a slip of paper, walked back to the microphone, and read off the name.