Marigold by Heather Manheim (best books for 8th graders .TXT) 📕

Amelia nodded as she stuck out her hands. After the guard secured them, she looked down at the thick silver cuffs that circled her wrists. They were sturdy and firm, the metal chilly. They had curved plates attached to the outside of each wrist restraint and forced her hands into somewhat of a praying position. They didn’t exactly hurt, but it was odd to be restrained and have such limited movement of her hands and wrists. She definitely preferred Brookshire’s hand around hers over the cold metal. It dawned on her as well that the guard had called her “Davis.” It occurred to her this might get confusing, Davis. Amelia. Amelia. Davis. She also realized that President Everett would give her a new name when they were married too. It would be too confusing to go back and forth and try and remember her new name. With much chagrin, she decided to stick with Davis until everything else got sorted out.

September 24, 2056 – Infirmary

The Security Patrol Guard escorted Davis into the infirmary door. He asked Brookshire to wait outside. When they walked in, Davis was somewhat comforted and somewhat unnerved by the presence of the blue light. She had forgotten about the ever-present ultraviolet rays that were everywhere, a never-ending beacon of death to bacteria and germs. Of course, it was also a reminder to the people that the government never stopped in the war against illness. They approached an older lady at a glass desk; she had tired brown eyes and gray hair in the ordinary bob. A thick glass partition entirely enclosed her desk. She had a tag on her mint green scrub tunic with her name, “Flynn.”

The Security Patrol Guard spoke into the conversation speaker first. “Hello there, Flynn. I located Davis, the lady that has been missing. As you know, she hasn’t received any medication or checkups since she disappeared. She needs to go into quarantine.”

Davis laughed to herself at how easily the guard quickly took credit for “locating” her. It made her laugh even more when Flynn replied to the guard, “That’s Great! You’ll need to go to quarantine as well since you got exposed to her without protective gear.”

Davis only had to wait a few minutes; however, Flynn had asked her not to move and stay exactly where she was. It was difficult because she was antsy and nervous. Luckily, it was reasonably quick that several orderlies came out in full hazmat suits. Two placed Davis in a rolling transport cubicle, enclosed in thick glass, a blue light situated on both sides of the door that locked once she was inside. There was a shelf on each side of the glass that held a communication tablet. The orderlies repeated the process with the guard, putting him in his own transportation cubicle. Then as they rolled Davis and the guard away, she noticed that three more orderlies in the hazmat suits locked the infirmary doors and now were cleaning and sanitizing the floor where she had walked in and had stood. They set up air purifiers, and Flynn had exited her cubicle out a back door not connected to the front office. This is a bit much! Davis thought to herself. She had to admit, though, that just about a month ago, all this would have made perfect sense to her. She wouldn’t have even thought about it at all; it would have all been typical and much-needed actions to her.

The orderlies wheeled Davis into a room completely enclosed with the same thick glass walls. There were blue lights on each side of the door and in the middle of the room. The orderly that wheeled her in went up to the outer shelf and typed something on his keyboard. The message appeared on the screen inside for Davis to read. The statement said, “I’ll unlock the doors, let me leave the room, then you can exit and get into the bed. Someone will be in shortly.” Davis wasn’t sure if she should type a reply, so she just nodded her head yes to acknowledge she had read the note. The orderly then punched some numbers on the door keypad, and Davis heard it unlock. She was tempted to step out early and freak him out but decided it wasn’t worth it and not very nice. He would probably be terrified if she did.

After the orderly closed and locked the door to the room that Davis would call home for the next fourteen days, he nodded his head as a sign she could exit the rolling cubicle. Davis stepped out and took a deep breath. It smelled of antiseptic and eucalyptus. Davis had forgotten that they piped eucalyptus oil scent through the air ducts. President Everett had told everybody it was necessary to fight against germs as eucalyptus was a natural antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal. It was also helpful in combating some of the effects of the flu, respiratory infections, sinus problems, and colds. Davis didn’t doubt this might be true. She liked the smell of eucalyptus, and to her, it smelled fresh and clean but also like it could do some damage to a virus. However, she did doubt that simply piping the scent through the air pipes would save someone from getting sick.

Davis situated herself on the gray bed and looked at the gray floors and the gray walls. She tried to acquaint herself with the fact that she was back in an almost colorless world again. When someone walked in, and Davis spied Duffy’s kind eyes through her hazmat hood, it took all her power not to jump up and hug her. However, they had decided beforehand that they would act as if they didn’t know each other. It was the only way to keep each other safe as well as the secret they now shared.

Duffy spoke first. “Hello, Davis, we are the people, and the