"Open up, Population Police!" an officer yelled, as he pounded on the Garner's wooden door.
"Hold on," Mrs. Garner replied, then whispered, "Luke, hide."
Things were always like this in the Garner house. Whenever someone was at the door, Luke would have to hide in the attic or behind the stairs. Luke wasn't like any other child; he was a third child. Because there wasn't enough food in town, people weren't allowed to have three children, only one or two. If Luke wanted to live he would have to make sacrifices, he had to eat by the stairs, sleep in the attic, not play outside, not have friends, and not go to school.
Mrs. Garner scurried to the door and replied, "Yes officer?"
"I was sent here by a couple who claims to have seen three children. Do you know what we do to third children?" the officer stopped long enough to see Mrs. Garner nod. Then he shoved past her to search the house. "Call your children," he ordered without turning his head toward her.
"Uh, Mark, Matthew, come down here. I assure you officer I have only two sons. This couple must have been mistaken."
"Yes, mom?" Matthew answered as he finished going down the stairs.
" Where's your father?" the officer asked.
"He's at work, sir," Mark replied.
"Is there anyone else up there? Come down immediately or I will come up and shoot!" the officer said as he headed up the stairs, with his gun up high. "Stay here."
Soon enough the officer came down with a look of defeat. "There's no one up there. I'll be watching you though." Once they heard the door click they ran to Luke's room.
"Luke, how could you be so careless to let people see you through a window! Just wait until your father hears this! We make sacrifices and this is how you repay us! We could easily turn you in to the population police!" Mrs. Garner yelled.
"Mom, I'm sorry!" Luke replied.
"You better be," Mark said.
Before closing the door, Mrs. Garner replied, "When your father comes he'll straighten you out."
About two hours later, the attic door reopened. Luke looked up and saw his father's disappointed face. "How could you! You don't deserve to live. You're lucky that I feel pity. Tomorrow you'll be left alone in the house, your mom and I are going to work and your brothers will be at school. I will not hear that the Population Police came to this house while we were gone, do you understand?"
"Yes," Luke answered.
He lowered his head so that his father wouldn't see that he was actually happy. Luke had made a friend just days before. It was his new neighbor, Jen. She was a third child too. Jen believed that it wasn't fair that all third children should be killed, she thought that they should be as free as anyone else. Maybe that was why Luke admired her, that, or he really did like her. He wasn't sure.
They would hang out in her house. She was a baron (wealthy person), so she had chips, ice cream, popcorn, and other kinds of junk food. Luke didn't have any of that so he was always delighted when Jen offered him something to eat.
Luke was so excited he couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned in his bed, until finally he fell asleep.