He shook his head, disappointed. “That’s right. You didn’t know. So from now on, do me a favor. Don’t make assumptions when you don’t have a freaking clue.” He turned away from me, glaring in the opposite direction.
This was one of those open your mouth, insert foot moments. I thought about giving him a snide remark but, quickly retracted that idea. I reached out to touch his shoulder, but pulled back as Mr. Baker walked into the room carrying a white sheet of paper. His eyes swept over the classroom briefly, a hint of ferocity in them as he handed the piece of paper to Mrs. Edwards.
My squabble with Colin completely took my mind off of yesterday’s council meeting until I saw Mr. Baker. I scowled. I could see him in my mind, walking up to each member of the council and whispering the idea of making the teens of the colony gatherers. My eyes followed him as he scurried out of the room. Then, I looked at the dry erase board as Mrs. Edwards hung the paper up in front of it.
Panic rippled through my stomach. Mrs. Edwards didn’t even make eye contact with the rest of the students. Did that paper have the names of the first two selected in the lottery? It couldn’t be. They weren’t supposed to draw names until the end of the week.
“Is that what I think it is?” Grace blurted out.I was glad Grace asked first. Even though I was pretty sure every student in the room was thinking the same thing. Mrs. Edwards couldn’t even dignify us with an answer. She only gave a slight nod, her eyes wary.
“Son of a bitch,” I gasped. The table shook as Colin stirred next to me.
Grace spun around. ?
??Georgie!” she scolded.
Gasps echoed throughout the classroom. Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have used profanity. But it in light of recent events now was as good a time as any to use it. “Grace! Those bastards couldn’t even give us a week!”
The entire room went rigid. Nobody wanted to look at that paper and see their name on it. Nobody spoke either, leaving an unsettling silence. I looked over at Colin, who still wouldn’t meet my gaze. Finally, he got up off the bench and made his way to the dry erase board. “Might as well get this over with.”Colin brushed his finger along the top of the paper. He took his time reading, going over each letter, before he backed away. He walked back to his seat, acknowledging me. “Have a look, Georgie,” he commanded, a haughty tone in his voice.
I rose slowly, taking small, shaky steps to the board. When I reached it, my knees buckled and I staggered. I caught my balance by holding on to the edge of Mrs. Edward’s desk. My stomach did a back flip as the names on the paper burned into my brain.
The first two selected in the lottery were none other than Colin Martin and Georgina Carver.
Chapter 4: A Whole New World
But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear ; do not be frightened. Take Courage. Peter 3:14
My vision was blurry and the muddy walls of the corridor spun around me as I stumbled back to my room. Half-way there, I dug my fingers into the dirt wall and exhaled slowly. Numb. I felt numb inside. My name on that paper didn’t seem real. Maybe I was dreaming. Colin stalked passed me and shouted over his shoulder. “Looks like it’s you and me, Georgie.”
“No,” I said in between breaths. But Colin was so far ahead of me he couldn’t hear me. The news didn’t seem to hit him as hard as it did me.
As I sulked back to my room an unsure feeling swept over me. Part of me was curious, anxious to see if the world above me had changed in the last two years. At the same time, anxiety set it. I was having a hard time breathing and by the time I reached my room, I was hyperventilating.
Tears stained my cheeks as I plopped down on my cot. Instantly, I spread my feet shoulder length apart, lowering my head as I tried to steady my breathing. Once I was certain I got a hold of myself, I lifted my head up as my mother walked through the door. She rushed over to me, concerned. She swept me up into an embrace. “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” she cooed.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and sucked back the tears. “I’m the first to go.”
My mother pulled away, an inch away from my face. She furrowed her brow, looking at me like I was speaking some foreign language. “What?”
“The lottery. I was selected,” I cried, feeling more tears brim in my eyes.
A wide range of emotion, passed over my mother’s face. First, it was concern, then it was confusion, now it was fear. “They weren’t supposed to draw names until the end of the week.”
I wiped at my face with my free hand. “I guess they drew them early.”“Who else was selected?” she asked, her voice detached.
“Colin Martin,” I answered.
She looked away, lost in some trance. “Good. The Martin boy is strong.”
My initial reaction to seeing my name was shock, almost too shocked to react at all. Colin acted so brave after he’d read his name, proud that he was going to be doing this service for our colony. I tried to hide my fear. I tried to pretend that I wasn’t afraid. After seeing my name on that paper, I held my head high nodding in agreement. But really, I was terrified my limbs were
shaking. “Mom,” my voice trembled. “I’m afraid.” Who wouldn’t
be afraid of an empty, unpredictable world? I felt like my death
certificate had already been signed.
My eyes were drying up and I was starting to get used to the fact that I would now be out on my own in a deadly wilderness with Colin Martin. At least I wouldn’t be alone. That made me feel a little better. When I peered over at my mother, she was the one who now had fear in her eyes. She focused on the dirt wall, eyes searing with x-ray vision. It was like she was looking through the wall, observing what was behind it.