own educated guess, that student will receive extra credit if they are right.
When she completes her speech, which I’m pretty sure we could all repeat verbatim since we’ve heard it every year, we spread out on the large dirt pile. Jacqueline gives me the thumbs up sign and walks away to her usual place by Ethan. She has shown more interest in him in the past few Levels of school, always talking about how funny he is or how he purposely turned his back on Caroline just to talk to Jacqueline instead. If she doesn’t become the next Doctor, I wonder if the Community has agreed upon her match with Ethan. She has so many different opportunities. I can’t quite say the same for myself, though.
I pick the spot where I was laying the day before. The rock that kept me company is still there, waiting for my return. “Hi again.” I whisper to it, sticking my shovel in the ground close to where it’s sitting. Within just minutes of digging, my shovel connects with something hard. Strange, because it usually takes much more time before finding anything. I throw my shovel to the side, drop to my knees and dig with my hands.
My fingers grasp around a solid artifact as I hoist it out from the dirt. Keeping my hand carefully concealed by the shallow hole I dug, I hold it in my palm and wipe the dirt off with my thumb as best as I can. The figure has a gray steel frame, smaller wheels, and what looks like a chimney on top of it. I can’t believe I’m holding this. It’s a smaller version of the machine that has been chasing me in my dreams. It is exactly the same thing down to every detail!
I look around quickly. Every student is immersed in their digging. Ms. Kay is over in the corner helping Ryan with the proper way to efficiently dig. I slide the figure in my pocket and pull my shirt over it to make sure it is as hidden and secure as possible.
Glancing all around, I take one more look to make sure no one noticed my completely unlawful move. For a moment, I thought I saw a shadow around the edge of the maintenance building. When I blink, it’s gone and nothing else appears and no movement occurs.
I pick up my shovel and begin digging again as though I had not found anything yet. I whistle like Mr. Frank and Gavin do but then realize how normal that seems with them but how overly suspicious it makes me. I just have to hope I find something else soon so I can get out of here quickly.
My mind is racing. This item was just inches under where I laid yesterday. I didn’t even have to dig deep.
Usually I am intentionally the last student to leave a Dig because I like to find out about what everyone else discovers; but in this moment, I am unable to focus. When Shaline shouts out that she found something and begins her speech describing the object’s details and her theory on its existence, I struggle to concentrate on the words she’s saying.
All I can think is that it once existed. The subject of my nightmares once lived in The Before. How could I have known this?
CHAPTER 7
Most of my favorite memories in life revolve around my visits with Gavin. He simply makes things better, and I like having a secret friend that no one else in the community knows about. It’s no surprise that our relationship has always been a calculated balance of instinct and transgressions since our first meeting was initiated by me breaking an Impetus law.
I was walking back home after a Level 6 school field trip when a bee buzzed past my ear. We had identified bees and their pollination process earlier in school so I was eager to see them in action. I veered off the path, separating from my group, and followed the bee to the edge of the thickets.
Even as a little girl, I would tend to get focused on one particular thought and immediately disappear inside my head. If one thing is consuming me, I’m not able to think about much else at the time. So as the bee seemed to push
When she completes her speech, which I’m pretty sure we could all repeat verbatim since we’ve heard it every year, we spread out on the large dirt pile. Jacqueline gives me the thumbs up sign and walks away to her usual place by Ethan. She has shown more interest in him in the past few Levels of school, always talking about how funny he is or how he purposely turned his back on Caroline just to talk to Jacqueline instead. If she doesn’t become the next Doctor, I wonder if the Community has agreed upon her match with Ethan. She has so many different opportunities. I can’t quite say the same for myself, though.
I pick the spot where I was laying the day before. The rock that kept me company is still there, waiting for my return. “Hi again.” I whisper to it, sticking my shovel in the ground close to where it’s sitting. Within just minutes of digging, my shovel connects with something hard. Strange, because it usually takes much more time before finding anything. I throw my shovel to the side, drop to my knees and dig with my hands.
My fingers grasp around a solid artifact as I hoist it out from the dirt. Keeping my hand carefully concealed by the shallow hole I dug, I hold it in my palm and wipe the dirt off with my thumb as best as I can. The figure has a gray steel frame, smaller wheels, and what looks like a chimney on top of it. I can’t believe I’m holding this. It’s a smaller version of the machine that has been chasing me in my dreams. It is exactly the same thing down to every detail!
I look around quickly. Every student is immersed in their digging. Ms. Kay is over in the corner helping Ryan with the proper way to efficiently dig. I slide the figure in my pocket and pull my shirt over it to make sure it is as hidden and secure as possible.
Glancing all around, I take one more look to make sure no one noticed my completely unlawful move. For a moment, I thought I saw a shadow around the edge of the maintenance building. When I blink, it’s gone and nothing else appears and no movement occurs.
I pick up my shovel and begin digging again as though I had not found anything yet. I whistle like Mr. Frank and Gavin do but then realize how normal that seems with them but how overly suspicious it makes me. I just have to hope I find something else soon so I can get out of here quickly.
My mind is racing. This item was just inches under where I laid yesterday. I didn’t even have to dig deep.
Usually I am intentionally the last student to leave a Dig because I like to find out about what everyone else discovers; but in this moment, I am unable to focus. When Shaline shouts out that she found something and begins her speech describing the object’s details and her theory on its existence, I struggle to concentrate on the words she’s saying.
All I can think is that it once existed. The subject of my nightmares once lived in The Before. How could I have known this?
CHAPTER 7
Most of my favorite memories in life revolve around my visits with Gavin. He simply makes things better, and I like having a secret friend that no one else in the community knows about. It’s no surprise that our relationship has always been a calculated balance of instinct and transgressions since our first meeting was initiated by me breaking an Impetus law.
I was walking back home after a Level 6 school field trip when a bee buzzed past my ear. We had identified bees and their pollination process earlier in school so I was eager to see them in action. I veered off the path, separating from my group, and followed the bee to the edge of the thickets.
Even as a little girl, I would tend to get focused on one particular thought and immediately disappear inside my head. If one thing is consuming me, I’m not able to think about much else at the time. So as the bee seemed to push
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