My mother puts her hand on my cheek; it is cold and soft in a dry kind of way. Her eyes are glazed over and distant. She leaves two minutes before time is up. I wait in silence until the Peacekeeper standing watch at the door lets in an unexpected guest. It is a boy my age from school. I remember once Clove said to me that he would have made a good Career. I look closer at him now. She's right. The years of doing heavy construction have given him muscles that lifting weights cannot.
"What do you want?" I demand. Imminent life-death situations can really make you impatient. Not that I was particularly patient before.
He is staring down at his feet. "You probably don't know me," he begins in a low voice. You got that right. "But I just want to thank you for making this sacrifice for the rest of us."
I stare at him. "You're welcome." Wow. What a nutcase.