Narrator: Fawn

Imagine a laser tag game. Now imagine playing it in a skyscraper. Now imagine only forty people playing. Now imagine that if you get over seven hundred tags you're bound for a one way trip to the worst place on Earth. Now imagine if you won you get ten million dollars. Now imagine that this was real.

This is the situation I am in.

"The People are voting today for the next game," my mom said at breakfast. Everyone stopped moving. Let me explain why this sentence is totally terrifying.

The People are not the People of America. They are the People of the high table. They are about two hundred people who live in North Foreland. They get to live in big houses with AC and desert. Jerks. They decide everything. They say their decisions help us and let us know where our place is. Our place is the low table. That is literally what they call us. The low table lives in South Foreland with the extreme weather and bad plumbing. The People decide what we can buy at stores, what we can eat, where we can go and how much things cost. You know things that the low table should be able to decide by themselves.

"You mean the games they have every year that they think are fun for us, but they actually kind of suck and make our low self esteems hit an all time low. You mean the games that we might get sent to. You mean the games that give me nightmares. You mean the games where if you lose you get a one way trip to Outside Island," Jojo dropped his fork into his leaf waffles. Yes, waffles made of leaf batter.

"Jojo you're name did not get sent to the North this year. Relax you won't get picked," I said. "But mine and Dore's did."

"What! But Fawn, mommy did not tell me my name got sent," Dore said loudly. My mom glared at me with her gray eyes trying to make me feel scared for the words I just said. In my head I was like oops but on the outside I stared back because she keeps forgetting that I have the same gray eyes that can do the same as her. And we both keep on forgetting that we always level each other out. We both gave up at the same time.

"Fawn you're fifteen and you should know what to say and what not to say," my mom said. She turned to Dore who has turned a sickly shade of white. "Dore do not worry you will not be picked. Out of nine hundred names that are getting sent you are only one," she looked back to me, "And you are only one. The chances are slim."

"Chances are chances mom," I said taking a sip of water with a drop of orange juice in it. "We can go mom, and you know it. You got lucky you are way too old to go. You know what the Group says, 'Your life is bad enough. What's the point?' it's true mom," My mom slammed her fist on the table. "Now don't I ever be hearing words of the Group come out of your mouth Fawn. Or I will request you be sent to Outside!"

"You wouldn't dare," I said getting up and pushing my chair in hard it broke into pieces. I through the piece in my hand into the wall. "Tell dad to get my money and pay for a new chair. I need to go to school." Things like this happen all the time. Everyone in the low table lives in a two room apartment. Mold grows on walls; you have to go down stairs to the fire hydrant to get water and no AC or electricity. Sometimes I don't even believe in electricity. We have enough wind energy to supply us forever. Not that it is good wind energy.

I stomped past our kitchen into the hallway. Jojo, Dore and I live in the room on the right and mom and dad on the left. Not that dad is ever here anyways. But that is our house and nothing else. Except the door and the mirror next to it.

I hate that mirror. Always telling me that no matter what I do, I will not look like Hayley White from the high table magazines I read? Hayley has the same tan skin as me and the same black hair and gray eyes. But she is just pretty and I am just not. I reach down to grab my book sack then rise up and look at my reflection. Good for a low table but Hayley would ban me off to the Outside if she saw me.

Jojo and Dore run into the picture. "You have to walk us to school as punishment mom said," Jojo said. I barely heard him I was too busy looking at them through the mirror. We were an odd bunch of kids. I was tan, Jojo is black as black gets and Dore has chalky skin. The People also tell us who our parents are. I give a care about my real parents. No one does anymore.

"Fine, let's go. But keep up," I said. I grabbed my skateboard and they grabbed theirs and we ran out the door. We slid down the banisters on the stairs. And ran out the main doors and got going towards 556 elementary school.

The air smelled of leaf waffles and trash. The trash smell was us. The People think baths once a month is good enough and we have to share the water with our family.

People on boards and bikes traveled the streets. Trying to get to school or work as fast as possible. I got used to the view the second I got to this earth. The black streets, black apartments and black air were normal. Everything in our town 556 was like this. Everything cramped into a little town that couldn't afford it. The only store in the entire town had bad products and it took up way too much space. Personally I love it here. I fit in perfectly.

"Fawn, I see the group on their bikes coming down the road across from us," Dore said. I peered into the horizon and saw them. Dressed in blue and ready to take you on ride. These aren't the rides you want to go on though. I saw them make eye contact with me and they started to peddle faster.

"Pick up your boards and when I say three you run," I whispered. Dore and Jojo nodded. "One…two ...THREE!" we sprang off our boards and ran towards the elementary school. It was closer to us but we were on leg. If they got us we would forever be servants to the Group. I could hear their cries and I could see people running away leaving us to be mobbed. Dore was lagging behind by a lot and he had tears running down his face. This was a bad day for him.

I grabbed him up and we made it to the school and busted through the doors. I dropped Dore and Jojo grabbed his hand and they ran towards their classrooms. I saw the Group stop in the doors. They couldn't come in they were not allowed to. They shouted and moved on. Little kids were terrified hiding behind the front desk.

"It's okay they are not allowed in. It's law," I said. "It's safe." They poked their heads out and ran towards their classrooms. There were only five classrooms. There is one classroom for each grade from kindergarten to fourth. Our town sucks so bad.

I skated out the doors and went to the high school. Outside we actually had a courtyard with benches and everything. Kids were sitting talking, flirting, and fighting. I rode up straight to the door and stopped. I pushed the doors open. I walked past the shabby front desk and turned down the right hallway. I stopped halfway down the hallway and opened my locker. I took my book bag and emptied everything into the locker except my history book.

"Hello, Fawn looking lovely as ever," a voice said. I jumped ten feet in the air and slammed my locker. "Lo, don't do that. And why am I suddenly lovely?" I asked Lo.

"Because my mom said I have to compliment five people and you are number one," he said. "She wants me to stay proper so I don't have thought of joining the Group." He whispered that part. I rolled my eyes. Lo would never join the Group. Lo is that blonde hair blue eyes guy who girls want to go out with and who guys want to be.

"Well, anyways I got a new issue of High table magazine," he said showing me a vibrant colored magazine with Hayley on it. I frowned instantly. He frowned when he saw my face. "I thought you loved these things."

"I do, it's just that I kinda had another I'm so trashy compared to Hayley moments this morning," I said walking down the hall to get to history on time.

"Oh, do you need a happy hug," he said opening his arms and smirking.

"Oh, no," I said trying to escape but he grabbed me and gave me a bear hug. A girl gave me a dirty look. "Yeah, I bet you want some of him huh?" I said. She walked away with a scowl on her face.

"You have got to saying that. You make girls jealous of my beauty I share with you," he said dropping me.

"You are the one you gives me killer happy hugs," I defended myself. "And self-centered much?" He laughed and gave me another happy hug all the way to history. But he wasn't careful enough to drop me before the teacher saw us.

"Excuse me Miss Nile and Mister Tyler, but you are not allowed to show PDA until you are registered mates," Mrs. Barkley said.

"Please, I'm giving her a hug," he said setting me down. "Is it really that bad?"

"You know the law, but if you want to be registered I have a slip," she said.

"No!" we said simultaneously. We both had horrified looks on our faces. We are yesterday, today and forever. Never would I ever be Lo's mate. I rather eat leaf waffles for breakfast, lunch and dinner for a year.

"Then take a seat," she said pointing to the back of the classroom where there was mold on the seats.

"Please don't make us," I said hoping for a better seat. She just nodded back and we tromped to the back and cleaned of some slime stuff and sat down. It was damp and disgusting. I glared at Lo and he slumped down in his chair.

"Our history lesson today is how Foreland is the wonderful land it is today," Mrs. Barkley said bitterly. She was required to say that. The high table thinks we are happy the way we are.

Mrs. Barkley said things from the textbooks like how "The only other country in the world America had discovered this land and settled in 1895. They called it New States. They brought over everything and it progressed by itself and almost became as rich as America. Then in 1970 Richard Fore came up with a system that would make people know where their place was. He called it the table plan. In the North the rich people would live there and the poor would live in the South because the weather was bad there. The five hundred richest people in New States would move to the North and be called the high table. Then the rest were sent down to the South and Fore gave them all they ever needed. As the plan progressed he said that the babies born would be sent to either the North or the South. If they were going to the South they were sent to either the one hundred towns, the two hundred towns, four hundred towns, or the five hundred towns. One was the poorest treatment and five was the highest. The North would make up laws because they were smarter and more superior. The North as equally treated as the South, b-." We all looked up and gasped. Mrs. Barkley through the book at the wall and sat on her desk which creaked under her.

"Go home kids. I will write excuse forms for all of you," she said covering her face with her face. We left in a hurry.

We all skated into town and headed over to the only fun place in town.

Benny's Laser Tag Palace.

"Just put it on the dumb tab," Lo said to the cashier grabbing a vest for me and him and opening the game room. He tossed me a gun and he grabbed me one. We waited for everyone in the pre-game room. It was dark with black light so we could see glowing things. But in the game room it is pitch black with ramps and poles and trap doors. When we played laser tag we took it hard.

"Hello," a robotic voice said from the speakers. "Green team is Lo, Fawn, Jacobin, Kilda, Reese and Copper. The Red team will be Greg, Lauren, Milo, Venus, Ned, Memel and Forest. Please enter the game room Green team." My team walked through the door into game room. The only thing glowing was our vests. You couldn't see the ramps, poles and trap doors. This was going to be fun.

"The Red team has entered. Game on," said the robotic voice. We all took off. I and Lo were together like always and about to use our plan on a poor pathetic red team member.

"Look, red lights let's get him," I said. We both charged at him and he aimed his gun at us. I ran into him knocking him down. I rolled him on his side so his back and stomach were open. Lo kicked his gun away into oblivion.

"Hey, not fair!" he said as we began to shoot him from both sides.

"There are no rules, sucker!" I said. I kept on kicking him so he would stay and shooting him.

"Game over for Milo," his vest said after he got one hundred tags. We laughed and ran off to capture another victim.

"I love that strategy," Lo said. We were laughing when all of a sudden we fell. I screamed and Lo laughed more. We fell on our backs into darkness.

"Stupid trap door," I said rubbing my back. Lo put his fingers to my lips. "Shut up. Do you hear that?" I listened and heard footsteps lots of them.

"Run," I whispered. We got up and ran but it was too late. We were surrounded by red. "Crap," I said under my breath. They started to shoot at us and we shot back. Every laser Lo and I shot was a tag and we ducking all over the place avoiding the lasers. Lo tapped my arm twice which was code for plan 'B'.

"Oh my God is that a spare gun with full ammo!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. Their heads turned around so fast I could a feel a breeze. I knocked several of them on top of their heads with my guns. I hope that cause any permanent damage. They all fell on the ground and shot them all in a laser sweep. Lo had already knocked down the other half of the red team and we shot them continuously for two minutes.

"Do you want to be the purple team now?" Lo said. I smiled slightly. We could leave our team without them knowing and make a new team. In other words, stabbing our allies in the back.

"Duh," I said when I saw green lights running down a ramp, "Hurry!" Lo pushed a button on his vest and he shot me which turned our lights purple. The green lights stopped running.

"Hey, is that you, Fawn?" I heard Reese yell. I aimed my gun at him and shot him from ten yards away.

"Yeah, it's me. If I was you I would run," I laughed and charged. Reese was too shocked he fell over. Bad move.

I used my epic shot on him and I got every remaining on him which gave me one hundred points. The others started to run but I shot them all in one with another laser sweep. Kilda turned around and tried to shoot me but got Lo instead. She laughed and disappeared behind a pole. I ran towards her but stopped when my left foot nearly fell in a trap door. I looked down and saw a closed hole.

"Kilda, you are in invincible mode. You shot Lo who was the mole so you get to be invincible," I said. Kilda instantly came out from behind the pole and aimed her gun at me. I ran backwards and she chased me. Kilda didn't see the trapdoor open and fell in headfirst.

"Fawn, I'm going to kill you!" Kilda shouted from the hole. Lo ran up and aimed his laser down at her and used his epic laser on her.

"Suck it, Kilda," Lo said spitting down on her. She screamed and made a sound that sounded like she was gagging. We both laughed and ran away.

"Well, looks who thinks they can team up against the all time champions," Lo said gazing at blue lights who were obviously Copper and Jacobin. I tapped him five times for plan 'C'. He felt a wall and we both got behind it. Lo poked his gun out and shot Copper than quickly got back behind the wall. We heard footsteps coming this way. Lo quickly got out and I heard two swift kicks. I got out finding Copper and Jacobin lying on the world. I put my foot on Copper's chest and Lo did the same to Jacobin. Copper tried to dig her nails into my flesh but I was used to pain. I switched my gun to shock and shot her hard. She twitched and screamed. I kept on shooting her and shocking her until I was out of ammo and she was out of tags. Lo was done with Jacobin in seconds and then white lights lit up everything.

"Congrats purple team, Fawn and Lo, you have won and have set an all time record," the robot voice said. I kicked Copper out from under me and jumped up. Lo gave me another happy hug and I thought I was going to die.

"Please leave the game room now," the robot voice said. Lo kissed me on the head and said, "Let's celebrate."

"Congrats, you beat my record," Benny said. We were sitting at a table in the arcade. I was so pumped I could barely sit still. Benny was my idol. Of course he is seventy-one, has gray hair and his eyes are getting the milky color you get when you are old, but he set world records at laser tag and we beat him. "And if you guys get sent to the games, God forbid, you'll be in good shape." Lo and I stopped smiling at the word games.

"What do you mean?" Lo asked shaking off the fear and acting casual. Benny got up and went to the laser tag paying table and got a newspaper that had just been printed and walked back and threw it on the table. I nearly fell out.

"The game the high table picked this year is laser tag," Lo read the newspaper, "It will be very interesting this year because laser tag is very popular is the low table. The people this will be chosen differently. If your name was sent they will see how good or bad you are at laser tag. They will fifteen of the best, fifteen of the worst and fifteen of people who are average. I can't read this anymore," Lo stopped and banged his head against the wall continuously. This was like a giant slap in the face. Congrats, you just beat a world record in laser tag and now you might be picked for life changing games.

"Once I got the newspaper I stopped the game so you couldn't get any more points but it was too late," Benny said quietly. I was so shocked, my head started to feel light and my sight was getting splotchy. Uh, oh. Everything went black and I floated in the endless darkness.

"Fawn! You're alive," someone grabbed me up and squeezed me. I smelt cinnamon and I knew it was my mom. "Oh, you passed out after you heard the news." I looked around and Lo, Jojo, Dore and Benny were looking down at me. I was on the ground and my mouth tasted like pepper. Lo helped me up and hugged me normally. Not a happy hug. Jojo and Dore tackled me when Lo finally let go.

Mom paid for a cab and we got driven home. The ride back was awkward for me because mom, Jojo and Dore wouldn't shut up about me fainting. And mom even said that the letters would be sent tomorrow to the unfortunate players.

Our dinner was a piece of dry rotting chicken tonight. Thanks a lot high table. I poured some clean water on it and took my lighter and cooked it a while and then ate it. Better, but not good.

No one slept that night. We all just sat in the hallway and waited for the sun to rise. My mom was pissed enough because my dad was still in the North fixing creaking chairs. Yeah, you heard me. The north needs people to fix creaking chairs. And now my mom was worried for Dore and me. Things are depressing.

The next morning we didn't bother to eat our waffles and we were not sent to school. No one was going to be there anyways. I had a feeling in my gut that we were getting a letter today.

We all just sat in the hallway and waited for twelve when they delivered the mail. It was ten o'clock, then eleven, then twelve.

Then one.

"We didn't get a letter," I finally said when I saw the time on my watch. I smiled and we all jumped up and gave a sound of triumph. Lo came over and he grinned at us as we did our happy dance.

"No letters!" he yelled and he gave me a happy hug. We celebrated for hours and hours on end. Then came twelve o'clock.

"Bye, Lo," I said closing the door. I fell on my bed and crawled under the covers and relaxed. One more year of total normality. I heard a knock at the door. I looked on the ground and saw Lo's lighter. I rolled my eyes and picked it up.

"Lo-," I opened the door, but it wasn't Lo. It was a mail man and he handed me a white envelope and ran away. I slammed the door and fell to the ground. My mom, Jojo and Dore came in the hallway and they stopped smiling. I opened the envelope and pulled out the white letter. They all surrounded me and we all braced ourselves for who it was going to be. Dore was crying uncontrollably and my mom tried to calm him down even though she was crying too. I unfolded the letter and read the first word.

Fawn.

I burst out into tears so fat and so flowing I couldn't breathe. Everyone started to weep. As I read the letter.

"Congrats, you have been chosen for the annual games. You will play Laser tag against forty-four others. If you win you receive ten million dollars and all your friends and family will be sent to the high table. But if you lose you will be sent to the Island Outside. You have until five o'clock to pack your stuff and say your goodbyes. We will knock on your door at five o'clock sharp. More information will be given at the banquet. Good Luck." I felt like was falling and falling in a hole that would never stop.

"My life is over," I cried, "I might as well be dead." It was true, I'm dead. If I set foot on the Outside people will kill me instantly and eat me and have the best meal they've had in a year.

"No, you're going to win," Dore said defiantly. "I give a crap what you say. You are going to try and you are going to win. You are the best laser tag player ever." I was shocked. Dore is the shy one. The one who goes with the flow. The one who knows what is going to happen no matter what luck we have.

"He's right," my mother said. "You are going to win, no matter what. That is a command." She was still crying but she had a steel edge in her voice.

"Yes, ma'am," I said. I'm going to win. I know it.

"Fawn, why are you packing," Lo said busting into my room. His face was red and he was breathing hard. I willed myself not to cry. Not yet. "I didn't see you at school and I snuck out. What are doing?" I couldn't hold it anymore. I started to cry again. It was only three o'clock and I had burst into tears fifty times. I held out the letter to him and his eyes filled with tears and dropped it and started to cry silent, calm tears. Unlike me who was blubbering in a very unflattering way. He gathered me in a hug and I cried into his shoulder. He pulled back but still held my shoulders and looked at me hard.

"You can't go alone," he said. "I'm going with you. I will volunteer to go and we will be a team and we will the last ones standing and will stay there until they finally give and make us both win." He gazed off imagining it. I shook my head.

"No, you can't do that. The last person who volunteered the high table thought that they wanted to commit suicide and they made live in locked in a box with soft walls. He went crazy, trying to kill himself. I won't let that happen to you," I said shuddered at the memory of the video I watched of him. I couldn't bear to imagine that being Lo.

"But…but…I love you," he said. I knew he loved me. As a friend and stuff but he said it so seriously. So like …he was in love.

"I love you too and because I love you and can't let you do this," I said. He just blinked and let go of me. I noticed my shoulders were up from his grip and I let fall. I've never seen Lo like this. He's acting like his life was ending and he couldn't find a way out. I'm supposed feel that way. I'm the one going to the games.

"You mind if I do something really sappy?" he asked. I furrowed my eyebrows. I did not see that question coming.

"Like what?" I said slowly. He stepped closer to me and I swear my eyes were the size of Foreland all together. In my mind I was saying don't back out but I wasn't ready for this. He was literally a centimeter from my face. He cupped his hand on the back of my neck. It was sweaty and warm and I was freaking out. I opened my mouth to say something but before I could close it realizing opening my mouth was kind of a come on he leaned himself right in. My eyes were wide open but I got carried away and just leaned in too.

It lasted exactly ten seconds and my heart stopped for exactly ten seconds. Lo backed away with tears still in his eyes.

"By the way," Lo said. "That was my first kiss, and glad it was you." He left my room simply and I heard the front door close

I sat on the bed dazed. I touched my lips gently and began to cry again. I knew this would happen. I predicted it. I would be chosen for the games, I would cry all freakin day and Lo would kiss me and say goodbye forever while I still cried. My life was so dang predictable.

I sucked it up and finished packing. I put on my best clothes which were a long sleeve white sweater which was clean. And some jean shorts that landed right above the knee. I put on my white flats which I scrubbed so hard with bleach to make white again. I even washed my hair and used the community flat iron which I borrowed from the library and straightened it.

"You look beautiful," my mom said as I walked out. I hugged her looked at the clock. Two more minutes until they took me away for possibly forever. Jojo and Dore had cried themselves to sleep after last night. I was shaking inside and nothing could calm it. I tried to eat but I hurled up the food and stomach fluid which forced more tears out of me. People are wrong you can't cry yourself dry.

I decided to busy myself and actually cook something out of the monthly cooking goods we get. I used all of the supplies in a matter of seconds. I made a soup that probably could only fit in one bowl but we always ration our stuff anyways so we were good. I offered it to my family but they said eat it yourself. I was so hungry but I was afraid I would puke. I gulped it down anyways. It tasted so good and so heavy I began to cry…again. And suddenly I was mad. So much anger filled up in me. I could feel it fill up any space available. I filled my lungs, my bones, my stomach, my brain, my heart. It was four thirty so I decided to throw a tantrum.

I took the bowl I made the stew in and slammed it against the wall over and over. I had already broken half the pan off when my mom and brothers came in. I ripped everything rip able in the house. Pictures of me smiling, papers that said I was very good in school, towels, and the cheap rotten wall paper were ripped to shreds. They watched me destroy everything for twenty-five minutes. I screamed it's not fair so many times my voice was getting hoarse. I stood still in the kitchen tears in my eyes and looking for something to destroy. Dore was looking at me and met his eyes and complete anger took over me.

"You," I pointed to him. I grabbed out from under his feet. "You told me I might be good at laser tag. And now look where I am. I am going to the games because I'm good at it. If you never said anything I would be celebrating," Dore was shaking in my hands. "You should be going to the games." I dropped him realizing what I just said.

"I'm sorry, Dore I didn't mean it," I said looking down at him. He was crying.

"I know. You're just mad. I would be too," he said. I looked at the clock. Thirty more minutes until my death sentence begins.

I cleaned up my face and fixed my hair and waited for five o'clock.

The clock said four fifty-nine then when it changed to five two swift knocks came from the doors.

I answered it and just like that they took me away.