Life Designed (Life Plan Series Book 1)

by Eliza Taye

  Upset, Opal glared at his retreating form. Finally looking at Garrett, she saw he was as dumbfounded and shocked as he’d ever been. “What?”

  “What?” Garrett’s brows raised even more. “That was incredible! I’ve never seen you tell someone off like that…not to mention someone in authority.”

  Rolling her eyes, Opal said, “She wasn’t quite in authority per se. She was just in your way.”

  Grinning, Garrett hugged Opal tight as if she were a teddy bear. “Aww, you must really love me.”

  Opal pushed him away. “Garrett…come on, of course, I love you, you’re my best friend. But also, that lady was really ticking me off with her smug look and acting like she was better than us!”

  Laughing Garrett went to ruffle Opal’s hair, but she dodged the attack. “I’ve just never seen you act like that before. I’m so proud of you.”

  With a half chuckle, Opal started descending the stairs. “I can’t believe you, Garrett. No matter the situation, you can always find a way to laugh about it. You should be mad about this.”

  Once he thought about it, it did make him somewhat upset. If he couldn’t speak with the council representative about how he got into his position, how could he write his Plan?

  “Well, Garrett…aren’t you?” prodded Opal.

  “Yes, I am, but what can I do about it? Maybe we can wait until City Hall is about to close and then we can ambush the council representative on their way to a hotel and get them to answer the questions then.”

  A confused expression upon her face, Opal shook her head. “The council representative doesn’t stay in a hotel. When they are visiting cities, they stay inside the city halls. Each City Hall has a residential apartment for the council representative to reside in for the entire week before a Submission Day.”

  That was when Garrett realized he only needed to amend his plan to break into City Hall. Instead of breaking in to get access to the secret room, he would break in to speak with the council representative. The representative should be able to answer any of his questions. Except, they wouldn’t be questions about completing his Life Plan like Opal believed…it would be about The Council itself.

  Chapter 13

  After academy that day, Garrett went home like he’d promised Opal, but then told his parents he’d be studying and working on his Life Plan at Anaxia Library.

  He’d deceived both of them.

  Instead, he made his way further into the Undecided sector to an area that appeared even shadier than the location where the library was. Except, instead of the shadiness coming from a deserted ghost-town appearance, it came from the humans lurking in the shadows, watching him as he walked along. Paying them no obvious mind, he kept tabs on them through his peripheral vision as he passed. Mentally, he reviewed the directions he’d found on his sciorb. He’d written it down on a piece of paper, but he didn’t want to risk taking it out to reexamine the directions. That’d be a glaring sign that he didn’t belong there. Or worse, get him assaulted and robbed.

  Garrett couldn’t help feeling a little nervous walking through this part of the Undecided sector, but he wasn’t about to turn back. He needed a piece of technology to break into City Hall and he could only obtain it here. At least, according to what he found on the dataweb.

  Rounding the corner, he spotted a shack with an open interior, a dim light crackling in and out of intensity. Based on the appearance, this was the place. Heading straight for it, he noticed a figure hovering over a table.

  As he approached, he raised his head and fixed his dark chocolate eyes at Garrett’s approaching figure. The scraggly brown beard that matched the long hair brushing against his shoulders gave him an ominous appearance. “Can I help you?”

  Not wanting to repeat the same lack of confidence that he and Opal had shown before in City Hall, Garrett deftly pronounced. “I’m here for a lockaway device.”

  The man’s eyes narrowed. “A lockaway device?”

  Instead of speaking, Garrett gave a short nod.

  Staring intently at Garrett for a few moments, the man then inclined his head towards the back of the shop. “Follow me.”

  Garrett did so. Throughout the shack, a scattered assortment of tools caught Garrett’s eye. Looking around at them, he almost forgot to keep up the pretense that he belonged there and inwardly chastised himself.

  Staying focused on the vendor in front of him, Garrett noticed he’d stopped in front of a back door invisible from the street. With the jingling of keys, the man opened the door and ushered Garrett inside.

  Once inside, Garrett noticed this room was well-organized, unlike the main shop. He half-wondered if it was a good idea for the man to leave the front of his shop so exposed. Either way, he wasn’t going to tell this man what to do.

  “What are you trying to break into?” he asked.

  “That’s my own business.”

  The man turned and glared at him. “How am I supposed to know which sort of lockaway device to give you if you don’t tell me what you’re trying to crack?”

  Silent, Garrett contemplated whether the man was testing him or not. If he were and Garrett failed, he’d lose the one chance he had to purchase a lockaway device. Deciding on telling the truth without revealing too much, he responded, “It’s something of high security…that’s all you need to know.”

  The corner of the man’s mouth drew into a slight smile. “Smart kid.”

  Moving a row down and reaching towards the top, the man obtained a small, black box. “This is the lockaway device you’ll need. It’s compact but powerful. It’ll get you into any high-security location.”

  Nodding approvingly, Garrett reached out for it. The man placed it in his hand and allowed Garrett to appraise it for a few seconds before snatching it back.

  “That will be 300 trecins.”

  Garrett’s jaw dropped. “Three hundred trecins!”

  “Take it or leave it.”

  Pursing his lips, Garrett considered walking away and not taking it, but a small voice in his head cautioned that this, too, might be a test. Determined, Garrett countered, “Two hundred trecins.”

  The man’s fist closed protectively over the device. “Are you trying to insult me?”

  “No, but I’m not trying to be ripped off either.”

  “Two hundred seventy trecins.”

  “Two hundred fifty trecins,” began Garrett, and before the man could protest, he added, “and that’s my final offer.”

  The man opened his mouth, closed it, and released a steam of air through his nostrils. “Deal.”

  Garrett handed over the 250 trecins—most of his remaining life savings and took the lockaway device from the man. Without another word, he turned and left the shop.

  Feeling satisfied with himself, he could hardly contain the smile threatening to spread across his face. Forcing it down, he reminded himself to remain composed and stoic. He didn’t want to look like an idiot walking through one of the worst neighborhoods of the Undecided sector.

  “Garrett?”

  Freezing at the sound of his name, Garrett turned slowly to see who’d called his name.

  April stood on the opposite side of the street looking at him with her brown eyes widened. “What are you doing here?”

  Still frozen and unsure how to react, Garrett just stood there.

  Crossing the street and making a beeline for him, April asked again, “What are you doing here, Garrett?”

  Finding his voice, Garrett responded. “I could ask the same of you.”

  Confused, April regarded him for a moment. “Well, I live near here, but you, you’re…”

  Before she could say anything else, Garrett covered her mouth and pulled her aside where they couldn’t be seen or heard in an old abandoned shop.

  Once inside, he quickly explained, “I’m sorry, I didn’t want anyone to know that I’m not one of the Undecided. I came here for something I can’t get in my part of the city and I know this is a bad area so…” Garrett all
owed his words to trail off.

  Hanging her head, April agreed, “Yes, it is a bad part of town.”

  Garrett realized he’d just insulted the area in which she’d told him she lived and backpedaled. “I mean, I just read that it’s rough, that’s all. Um…”

  “You don’t have to apologize, Garrett.” April sighed. “The truth is I live in an area that isn’t very safe, but it is very inexpensive. It’s about all my mother and I can afford.”

  Garrett’s eyes softened. “I’m sorry, April. You deserve better than this.”

  “I know I do, but unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do to change it.” Meeting Garrett’s softened gaze, she reiterated, “So why were you here?”

  Wincing, Garrett explained, “It’s better if you don’t know. I’ve already revealed enough by saying it’s something I can’t get on my side of the city.”

  “Is it something bad? Are you in trouble?”

  “Not exactly, but I don’t want you implicated or in trouble.”

  A beep from Garrett’s interwave caught his attention. Seeing the time, he realized he needed to hurry back to the Decided sector. It was getting late. If he spent any more time there, the story he’d told his parents wouldn’t hold for much longer before they got suspicious.

  “I’m sorry, April. I’ll see you later. I have to go back home.”

  “Okay, Garrett. Be careful and get home as soon as you can.”

  “I will.” Garrett nodded and left.

  Once Garrett returned to his side of town, he headed straight for the edge of town. The streets were dead as the night. Garrett’s footsteps seemed to echo into the black expanse as loud as possible. Feeling slight apprehension, Garrett briefly considered turning back and going home, but with little more self-persuasion, he pressed on.

  Lurking close to the scant shadows of the buildings, Garrett remained focused on the city hall building looming at the end of the walkway, the steps disappearing into the black shadows cast by the building itself. With a solid resolve, Garrett passed the front of City Hall and rounded the back.

  In his research, Garrett discovered a maintenance door in the back that had slightly lower security than the front door. It would also put him closer to where the council representative’s quarters were.

  Finding the door with ease, Garrett placed the lockaway device next to the panel and waited for it to work its magic. Several seconds ticked by and he began to wonder whether he’d just wasted years’ worth of birthday money and allowance on buying it.

  Before he could curse the man he’d purchased it from, the light by the panel turned green and he heard the sound of a lock being disengaged. Yanking open the door, he found himself in a dark corridor.

  Swallowing hard, Garrett wondered if there were motion sensor lights here and if he should have thought about disarming them before breaking in. Taking a tentative step into the hallway, Garrett released a breath when he realized it wasn’t under motion-sensing lights.

  Not wanting to risk being discovered, he stood there quietly until his eyes fully adjusted to the lack of light. Although Garrett was never the brightest kid in class, he did have a knack for remembering almost everything he’d seen once he’d studied it long enough. Remembering the blueprints of the city hall building, Garrett walked to the end of the hallway and took a slight left. There he walked past what he knew to be storage closets and supply rooms.

  Meandering through the dark halls using only his memory of the blueprints as his guide, he found himself in a remote part of City Hall. The blueprints he’d memorized hadn’t been complete to the point of showing him where the council representative’s quarters would be, but he suspected they’d be near the submission room.

  The corridor before him led to a solitary door. Garrett was about 90% sure it led to the council representative’s chambers. When he reached the door, he discovered it, too, was locked with a panel similar to the one outside. He reached in his pocket for the lockaway device and then softly smacked himself on the forehead, emitting no sound.

  He’d forgotten the lockaway device outside beside the door panel he’d entered from. Furious with himself, he stopped to consider his options. He could either try to hack the panel himself or retrieve the lockaway device and use it instead. Both would waste a considerable amount of time, but trying the lock himself would be a greater risk of failure and alerting someone.

  Deciding against trying his luck, Garrett ran back to the door he’d entered from, retrieved the lockaway device, and placed it by the panel next to the door. By now, he was sweating and becoming more nervous by the second.

  As the light turned green, he slowly opened the door and found himself in a living-dining-kitchen room combination. The lights were off here, but a small sliver of light shone from beneath a door in the back. Taking a step forward, Garrett couldn’t wait to talk to the council representative and his steps quickened.

  All of a sudden, he felt immense pressure against his back as he was thrown to the ground, a heavy weight atop him.

  “Who are you?” shouted a voice

  Dumbstruck, Garrett didn’t say a word.

  “Who are you?” repeated the voice, an elbow pressed into Garrett’s back, causing him pain.

  “What is going on out there?” came the voice of a woman from the back room.

  The small sliver of light grew in intensity as a figure became silhouetted by it.

  “An intruder, ma’am. I tackled him to the ground before he could enter your room.” The man pressed his elbow deeper into Garrett’s back, pinning him harder into the floor.

  Finding his voice, Garrett shouted, “I just wanted to speak with the council representative. I didn’t want to harm her. I just had a few questions about how to become one. I’m a pre-submitter!”

  Garrett hoped his words would make a difference, but silence hung in the air for several long seconds.

  “Remove him from my sight,” came the voice of the woman as she spun on her heels and returned to her room, shutting the door.

  Suddenly, a light came on in the room and Garrett found himself being hauled to his feet by two different guards, dragged from the apartment, and back into the corridor.

  “You have a lot of explaining to do. What is your name?”

  Feeling defiant, Garrett spat, “I don’t have to tell you anything. All you guys do is keep everything secretive around here. I wouldn’t have had to break in if the council representative—if she—had been willing to meet with us common people and give us advice on our Plans instead of hiding away like a stuck up elite. What makes her better than us anyway?”

  One of the guards clopped him on the head. “She reports directly to The Council and that’s what makes her better than you. Now shut your mouth. We’re taking you directly to holding where we will find out what your name is, who your parents are, and you will be punished for this act of infiltrating a government building.”

  The guards dragged Garrett to a personal transporter outside City Hall where one man sat waiting in the driver’s seat. They took him to what was called the Holding Hall. Very few citizens broke the law on the Decided part of the city, so there was no official jail for them like for the Undecided. Instead, there was a one-room building called the Holding Hall, aptly named since it was nothing but a long building with open cells on the interior of it.

  Instead of placing Garrett in a cell right away, they took his interwave from him and opened his contacts list.

  “Hey, that’s my personal property!” objected Garrett, unable to do anything else with his bound hands.

  Ignoring him, the guard who’d taken it began to smirk. “Ah, so your name is Garrett Gibbons, huh?”

  Garrett just snarled at him.

  “Well, looks like all I have to do is call the contact, Mom and Dad, and we’ll have them here in no time.” The guard’s blue eyes intently watched Garrett’s reaction. “Depending on your confession, this could go better or worse for you.”

  Garrett merely stared th
e man down.

  Kneeling by Garrett, the guard’s gaze softened. “Look, I am trying to help you. Attacking a member of the council representatives is a serious offense. If you would just tell me why you did it, then maybe I can help you. If you don’t, we can only assume the worst.”

  Sighing in defeat, Garrett admitted, “All I wanted to know was how to become a council representative. I went to City Hall to speak with the council representative about it. I’ve been trying to research what I need to do to become one, but there is nothing out there.”

  The guard’s brow furrowed. “Why would you want to be a council representative when there are so many other jobs you could be?”

  Annoyed, Garrett responded, “Why be something else when a council representative is what I want? It is my life and my Plan, right?”

  “Look, kid. I’m trying to help, but the information you’ve given me just isn’t enough. I’m calling your parents and hopefully, they’ll be here to pick you up soon.” Standing, the guard used Garrett’s interwave to call his parents.

  As the guard spoke, Garrett couldn’t help but consider how it had all gone wrong. He should have realized when there weren’t any guards outside the doorway of the council representative’s chambers that something was amiss. He was a fool to think he could just waltz inside and have a conversation with…well with her. That was something else that shocked him. He wasn’t expecting the council representative to be female. He didn’t know why; it just hadn’t occurred to him.

  Less than thirty minutes passed before Garrett’s parents burst through the entrance to the Holding Hall. Garrett looked up from his seated position and grimaced at their worried expressions.

  “Garrett, what happened?” demanded his mother, coming over to hug him, brushing her fingers over his bound hands in concern. “Garrett?”

  The same guard who’d asked him to tell the truth explained, “I thought it would be best if they heard it from you, Garrett.”

  Mrs. Gibbons’ brown-eyed gaze went from the guard to Garrett. “Tell us what?”