Life Designed (Life Plan Series Book 1) by Eliza Taye (mini ebook reader TXT) 📕

“Well,” began Opal. “What I wanted to know was…”

“What we wanted to know is if we could meet with them in person,” interrupted Garrett, coming to stand beside Opal. Puffing out his chest, Garrett tried to appear serious and as if no was an impossible answer for the woman to give him.

With a curt chuckle, the woman smirked at them. “Are you two serious? You thought you would be able to actually meet the council representative?”

With a huff, she added, “What nerve. You think that just because you are pre-submitters that you have the right to…”

“No, that’s not it at all!” Opal quickly found her voice. “My friend, here, wants to be a council representative, but there’s no literature in the main library or in our academy about it. We need to talk to the council representative to understand what he needs to put in his Life Plan.”

“This friend?” The woman’s eyebrows raised as she took in Garrett from head to toe. After two passes, she laughed. “You? Become a council representative?”

Garrett frowned at her disregard for him, but she kept on laughing, even doubling over and grabbing her stomach.

After composing herself enough to speak, she sputtered. “There’s no way you’d ever have that approved on your Life Plan.”

Opal’s eyes narrowed. She was the type of person who struggled to stand up for herself, but when it came to the ones she cared about, no one could mess with them. “Listen, lady. You’re not the council representative, nor do you work for The Council itself. You have no authority to decide whether or not my friend has the makings of being a council representative. Your own hubris is a bit much for a lowly clerk at City Hall who didn’t dream big enough before you turned seventeen to dream up a better job for yourself!”

By the time Opal was done giving the woman an earful, her lower lip was quivering and she strived to say something in retort, but Opal’s steely gaze prevented her.

Using the continued break in silence to speak again, Opal demanded. “Now how can we see the council representative? We only need a mere five minutes of their time.”

“That will not be at all possible,” stated a voice from behind.

Opal, Garrett, and the woman at the desk all turned to the open door. As recognition dawned, the woman began smirking again, now out of her stupor.

“You two need to come with me,” declared the security guard, his arms folded across his chest.

With a glare towards the still smirking woman, Opal figured she must have hit some silent alarm button that neither she nor Garrett had noticed her do. How cowardly to be afraid of two teenagers almost half her age.

“Let’s go.” The guard entered the room and grasped both Opal and Garrett firmly by the upper arm, guiding them out the room and through the building. Once at the entryway, he deposited them outside the entrance.

Upset, Opal glared at his retreating form. Finally looking at Garrett, she saw he was as dumbfounded and shocked as he’d ever been. “What?”

“What?” Garrett’s brows raised even more. “That was incredible! I’ve never seen you tell someone off like that…not to mention someone in authority.”

Rolling her eyes, Opal said, “She wasn’t quite in authority per se. She was just in your way.”

Grinning, Garrett hugged Opal tight as if she were a teddy bear. “Aww, you must really love me.”

Opal pushed him away. “Garrett…come on, of course, I love you, you’re my best friend. But also, that lady was really ticking me off with her smug look and acting like she was better than us!”

Laughing Garrett went to ruffle Opal’s hair, but she dodged the attack. “I’ve just never seen you act like that before. I’m so proud of you.”

With a half chuckle, Opal started descending the stairs. “I can’t believe you, Garrett. No matter the situation, you can always find a way to laugh about it. You should be mad about this.”

Once he thought about it, it did make him somewhat upset. If he couldn’t speak with the council representative about how he got into his position, how could he write his Plan?

“Well, Garrett…aren’t you?” prodded Opal.

“Yes, I am, but what can I do about it? Maybe we can wait until City Hall is about to close and then we can ambush the council representative on their way to a hotel and get them to answer the questions then.”

A confused expression upon her face, Opal shook her head. “The council representative doesn’t stay in a hotel. When they are visiting cities, they stay inside the city halls. Each City Hall has a residential apartment for the council representative to reside in for the entire week before a Submission Day.”

That was when Garrett realized he only needed to amend his plan to break into City Hall. Instead of breaking in to get access to the secret room, he would break in to speak with the council representative. The representative should be able to answer any of his questions. Except, they wouldn’t be questions about completing his Life Plan like Opal believed…it would be about The Council itself.

Chapter 13

After academy that day, Garrett went home like he’d promised Opal, but then told his parents he’d be studying and working on his Life Plan at Anaxia Library.

He’d deceived both of them.

Instead, he made his way further into the Undecided sector to an area that appeared even shadier than the location where the library was. Except, instead of the shadiness coming from a deserted ghost-town appearance, it came from the humans lurking in the shadows, watching him as he walked along. Paying them no obvious mind, he kept tabs on them through his peripheral vision as he passed. Mentally, he reviewed the directions he’d