The Lofties (The Echelon Book 2) by Ramona Finn (no david read aloud .txt) 📕

“Are you going to take the job at VaxWell?” I asked, changing the subject. It was all he could talk about since they wanted to hire him straight out of school. That was less than a month away. VaxWell was also coincidently the corporation that ran New Manhattan and administered the testing of the biomods.

“You don’t need to call me a hypocrite.”

“I didn’t,” I said, lifting my eyes to the clear blue sky above us. Jeremy rarely checked his score at a kiosk, never mind received a biomod injection.

He sighed. “The money is good. Really good.”

“You’ve mentioned that,” I said with a smirk. When Jeremy received the offer, he’d blurted out the salary. To anyone else, it would have seemed like bragging, but something like that was a serious factor for anyone in our level. “The waiver on your pairing helps, too, huh?”

“It is a perk.” Those working in certain areas of VaxWell could waive their pairing in order to dedicate their lives to the corporation. “The work on immunizations seems important, too.”

“Don’t forget about Sarah.” Sarah was Jeremy’s mentor there—a security officer who’d done his screening interview for the job. They’d hit it off right away, and she contacted him at least once a day to follow up on his decision.

“That’s true. At least I’ll have someone to talk to.” Jeremy gave me a wistful glance. Once I was paired, I wondered how often we would see each other. He was the only one I knew who shared my disdain for the system. He kept me sane, and I wasn’t sure if whoever I paired with—if I paired with anyone—would understand me as well as he did.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I said. “We’ll keep in touch.” Those in front of us muttered to each other about the state of the kiosks. It seemed like only two of the kiosks were working now. At least I had an excuse to delay the inevitable.

“You could not go, you know,” he pressed. “You already have a future for yourself with your acceptance to school for biomedical engineering. If you got a job, you could get a waiver, too.”

And go against the government’s plan for all eighteen-year-olds.

If only it were that simple. As much as I hated what the kiosks represented, the pairing would show the government that I was compliant with the demands of our society. With that in mind, I generally made an effort to try the makeup, jewelry, and music which the kiosks suggested to bring up my score—and boost immunity to the virus. That didn’t mean I liked it. Though the more I let them control my actions, the higher my score got. It was an unfair payoff, but necessary.

I stepped into the line and leaned against the brick wall—even though I wanted to flee the area.

Jeremy pulled a face. “You’re going to be here forever.”

“I know,” I said, wondering if I should have jumped in line sooner rather than waiting for Jeremy to find me after school since most of the kiosks were down. A technician carrying a hard, plastic suitcase was walking around the building, most likely to diagnose the glitches at the control panel.

“Screw this,” Jeremy said, lightly squeezing my arm. “I’m out of here.”

“I’ll talk to you later.”

Jeremy rocked on his heels before walking away. He wanted me to go with him.

Over the years, we’d talked about what our lives would be like without our allowing the government to control us. But as my pairing had begun looming on the calendar, I’d started to keep my thoughts to myself. Any talk of pairings began an intense discussion between us, but I wasn’t up for it most of the time. Dad’s face flashed in my vision. He was the only family I had. I couldn’t let him down.

I cringed, thinking of a few years ago when I’d let it slip to Dad that I didn’t like how the kiosks policed my appearance and behavior. His stricken expression at my words forced me to swallow them. I hadn’t been thinking. Mom had always talked that way, and I supposed I’d figured I could, as well, once I started going to the kiosks. I never shared my feelings about the government again after that, though. At least not to him.

My brave face was the only thing keeping the glue together in our family, and I was never going to be the reason for him looking like that ever again.

I took my place in line, pressing myself against the brick wall. Every few minutes, someone would leave the kiosk and we’d move a foot or so forward. I recognized a few others from my class who exited eagerly after receiving their mods. The newest updates were all the others talked about at school, leaving Jeremy and me at the outskirts of those conversations.

The government controlled our lives, but they couldn’t stop the rebellion in my heart. That was the one thing that kept Mom at the front of my mind. As much as it had been selfish of her to leave us with only a note, I understood her. It wasn’t right to force everyone, especially teens, to submit to the latest trends to get ahead in life.

Even if it was the only way for our species to survive.

It took another fifteen minutes before the cold air rushing from the dome peppered my skin. I wrung my sweaty palms together as I stepped on the metal weighing panel on the floor. It was only there to take our vitals, but the moment signified the last time I would have to submit to the routine. I held my breath, too, thinking that might help, though all that mattered to the technology was what was inside of me.

A thought struck me, and I stood straighter as I stepped off the panel. Was my pairing in this line, too?

The mystery around the process stirred a mix of excitement and fear in me. There were two people in front of me. I glanced