4

Thomas

The morning of the reaping is one that is always busy for the people in the headquarters. Everyone makes sure that the event goes off without a hitch. I on the other hand have to spend this morning meeting the newest member of the Chosen. There is one man who scored higher than anyone has in a long time so he was picked to join the ranks here in headquarters.

"Thomas the young man is here." I hear a voice come through the intercom system. Amazingly after the great illness, we have been able to restore almost all of the technology we had at the time. Although it works most people do not have access to certain things. That is one of the things that I have been working to change.

"Send him in." The next second the door opens and a young man walks in. He is tall with blonde hair and I can tell that he is very popular with the ladies. He already has an arrogant air to him, so I can tell that he is going to be one to watch. "So Michael tell me a little about yourself. Have you taken a look at the females for your pick today in the reaping?"

To most these may seem like pointless questions, but I am trying to get a better picture of the guy's state of mind. He strikes me as someone who is very self-absorbed and that can potentially cause problems for me. I try and surround myself with people that I feel are wanting to help lead people into a better future. Unfortunately, I am not getting that feeling from him, which will also determine what type of job I give him.

"I came from a smaller village and had your typical upbringing. I was by far the smartest person there and I was pretty bored. I was pretty sought after by the young ladies so I have an idea of the types I want to stay away from. There was one chick named Cora who had this crazy idea that she would give me her virginity and that I would pick her during the reaping. She wasn't that good so I don't think I'll be picking her if you know what I mean." He laughs as he says this.

So this jerk is lying to try and make himself look better. Does he think that this is something that will make him look better in my eyes? I knew this guy was going to be a pain to deal with, but he is making it so much worse at the moment.

"To be honest I haven't looked at the girls. Since I was told that I scored the highest, I'll just pick the girl with the best score. I mean I deserve it right?" He laughs some more. His arrogance is pissing me off more and more as he speaks. Right then it hits me that I am not going to burst his bubble yet.

"Well, it's good to know that you are aware of what you deserve. I will see you at the reaping." I motion for the door and he walks out.

I am going to let this idiot see just how much he messed up in time. Not only did he show his utter disrespect for me and my office but he also disrespected my Cora. This will be some great entertainment watching him squirm later when it all comes to light.

Cora

Over the last day, the females have started opening up and showing their true colors. One, in particular, is reminding me of what I don't want to be. Megan is a beautiful girl on the outside, but her soul is black. She has done nothing but brags about herself and her scores for the last few hours. She just knows that she will have the highest scores and will be chosen first. The funny thing is that she will have no idea until the reaping begins what her scores are. I have just kept my mouth closed and watched the show.

"What's the matter, Cora? Upset that my scores are better and that I'll get a rich mate?" She laughs and a few girls join in. These women have no self-respect if they are going to just follow along with her.

"I'm good. I'm not concerned with my scores. I did my best. I just want to hopefully get a nice mate. I could care less about his status as long as he treats me well." I hear her scoff.

"You can't be serious. That is the only thing that we should be concerned with. Comfort and riches are all we have to hope for. Goodness, you are a moron." With that statement, she shakes her head.

"Ladies I have an announcement. The leader of the Chosen will be taking part in the reaping today. Be ready in fifteen minutes for the start of the events." The lady turns and walks out of the room. She had barely gotten out of the room when I heard Megan.

"Guess we all know who my mate will be!" She just continued gushing so I just stopped listening.

We were all given a white dress to wear which matched all the other females. It was a modest dress that covered everything and was not overly form-fitting. Many had complained that the males would not be able to see our figures in the get-ups but they seem to forget that all of our assessment information and pictures were available to the males. I am starting to think that most of these girls have stopped using their brains. I blame that on Megan.

"Alright, ladies follow me." With that announcement, we lined up and made our way to the area where we will wait for the reaping to start. The females have to stand in small groups of twenty in straight lines. There are television cameras set up in various areas of the building. The males are all seated in padded chairs that are set up almost like the risers in a school gym. The males look like they are having the time of their life with their cocktails and snacks. They are laughing and joking around like they haven't a care in the world.

A song starts playing over the PA system and everyone goes to attention. The leaders of the Chosen begin filling out onto the stage and take a seat as the announcer begins his speech about the reaping. Over the years my family has always watched the reaping. It was one of the few things that we got to watch other than the news. I knew that my parents and grandparents would be gathered around the television watching and waiting to see what would happen to me.

The announcer begins going over the results and listing the girls in order. Megan was listed as number one with the top score. She stood smirking as the other names were called out. I began to worry when my name was not called. When the announcer got to the end-all all of the girls began to look at me and I knew that they also noticed that I had not been called and given a ranking.

"I know that many of you have the same question about why there were only ninety-nine females listed. The next speaker will address this." The speaker then walked away from the podium and a man who can only be described as beautiful and stoic walked up to the podium.

"Ladies and gentlemen not only here in attendance but those watching from home, my name is Thomas and I am the leader of the Chosen." His face held no emotion whatsoever. From the corner of my eye, I see Megan began to try and adjust her dress to make her look more inviting.

"I have come today not only to show myself to you all but to also claim my mate. The reason that there are only ninety-nine females is that the one that was not mentioned scored the highest ever score on her assessments. Not only in the normal categories but also in the fact that she is pure." With that, a loud murmur could be heard all across the area.

"This woman whose name is Cora will be my mate."