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Suddenly,for it to stop ringing I guess Zac isn’t ready to give up onto have to tell him Better if he hears it from you anyway He’ll understand"
I nod and squeeze ly reality of this day "I know Toht u co to worry
Tori
10:58 p??? R U mad at me???
Tori
11:34 pm
Pls answer ur phone
THREE
MOM DROPS ME AT THE FRONT DOOR WHILE SHE hunts for a parking space She’s paranoid I’ to be late Like the police will appear if I’," the not knowing anything anyround hasn’t just shifted beneath our feet; it’s been ripped away entirely
I feel groggy from lack of sleep A dull ache throbs at e saying I was sick and not to pick ht also offer soht It’s a reprieve For now at least
A receptionist sits at a desk in the lobby of the Wainwright Agency Very utilitarian Like s Behind her, the first floor stretches into a labyrinth of cubicles Phones ring Voices huive her my name and shea wall
I move nuhs and stare ahead with dry eyes Even though I ignored Zac’s calls, I listened to his voicethe sound of his voice bleed into h I know he’ll still lovehe’ll look at me just a little bit differently The way Mo several seats down fro if he’s a carrier, too Wondering if he’s like erous It hits me then that before yesterday I believed it all That every carrier wasis a danger
He’s wearing a faded arreen jacket that ht have been in the service He’s too scruffy-looking to be currently enlisted He catchescold eyes on me, and then I’m convinced that he’s not likeinto the eyes of a killer, I quickly look away
And thenthat to the world I’m no different from him I’m someone that must be monitored That’s why I’m here
Mom joins me just before Mr Pollock appears andthe sah a path created by the labyrinth of cubicles and sink down into the two chairs in front of his desk I can hear a wo on the phone on the other side of the partition Her voice is monotone as she warns someone that if he doesn’t come in for his next appointht" Pollock opens up a crisp , he picks up a narrow black device A tiny blue light glows at its center as he leans over his desk and swipes it through the air once in front of my face
"What’s that?"
"Face scanner," he replies brusquely
I glance to Mohtly worry her pearls He sets down the scanner, makes a mark inthe keyboard a few times
Finally, he looks at us "I’ve already alerted your local public school They’re expecting you toh School?" Only fifteen minutes away, it’s closer to the city I’ve never been there My world has been Everton since kindergarten
He looks at me with those small, dark eyes, totally emotionless "You’re seventeen You’re required to attend school You’re lucky Some states don’t even allow carriers in public school anymore" The way he says this, the way his head nods, rees with the policy, that we should be doing it here, too
He looks at Mo his eyes are a little less icy when he turns his attention on her He probably feels sorry for herpities her for having a daughter like me "You’ll have to take her toistration Keller already has a few HTS carriers, so they have a protocol in place"
I shift in my chair
"In the meantime" He hands me a card "This is your HTS identification Keep it with you at all times" Then he hands ulations"
I thu back up at hinorance of the rules is no excuse If you commit an infraction, break a law, justice will be swift"
These words hter "Rules?" I echo
He lowers his elbows to his desk and steeples his fingertips "I’ll do you a favor and explain one now Maybe the " He lifts one finger and holds it oet one chance One shot The first ti or violent manner, you’re imprinted" He taps the side of his neck "One infraction from you, one word from me, and you wear the H I’m sure you’ve seen it"