Kara Madsen entered the ballroom through a cloud of smoke and instantly her mood was lifted. Someone handed her a glass of champagne, but she had no inclination to drink it. Everyone at the party was sipping champagne and breathing in the pure bliss that filled the room.
“Isn’t this the best party ever?” Anne Park murmured to the group of teenagers around her. Kara sat in the chair next to Anne and leaned forward to hear the conversation over the hum of the party.
“Last year’s was good too,” Kingston Gray replied. “But I think this is much more potent.” Kingston leaned back in his chair and smiled.
“It’s their newest formula,” Kara interjected. “I’ll get us each a pack for when school starts.”
“Good,” Anne replied. “That liquor store stuff is so lame. I have to be constantly smoking it to feel anything.” Everyone in the group nodded and took a few deep breaths.
“I’m so bubbly!” Kara suddenly exclaimed. She jumped out of her seat and grabbed Anne’s hands. “Let’s go dance!” Kara led her friend through the white fog. One wall was entirely a picture screen that showed dancing colors and abstract images. The speakers at the top and bottom of the wall blasted high energy music. The two girls screamed as they danced with their hands in the air. Their shouts were drowned out by the music; and everyone in the room was too involved with their own emotions to care anyways.
Tellurian Level
Sector 7
Sirens blared from seemingly all directions. Ector pulled his hood closer to his face. He stepped closer to the fire. Oren never minded when Ector used his fire pit while he was away. Oren was probably trying to score more pills.
“Ector?” a voice came from behind the boy. “Are you okay?” Ector turned to see his mother standing a few feet from the fire pit. He stood up and took his mother’s hand. When Elsie lifted her head, Ector instantly dropped her hand. Her eyes were rimmed with red and her skin was tight and sunken. Ector grabbed his mom’s sleeve and pushed it up above the elbow. There they were: the little black dots that proved she had been shooting up. By the way her eyes kept darting around and her jumpiness, Ector guessed she had done a cocktail of whatever emotions she could get her hands on.
“Mom, you need to sit down.” Ector grabbed his water bottle and handed it to Elsie once she sat in front of the fire. Elsie suddenly burst into tears when Ector sat across from her. Ector shook his head, but he did not feel concern for his mother. He vowed to stay away from the drugs peddled on this level, so he never felt much of anything. His mother, on the other hand, wanted to feel anything she could—even the negative emotions that currently filled her system.
“Why do you buy that stuff?” Ector muttered. Elsie just sobbed harder.
* * * * * * * *
Ector ran his finger over the grooves in the desk while the teacher droned on. The teachers did not live on the Tellurian Level—most of them came from 1 or 2—and shuttled down every day. One time, a few students managed to get on the shuttle before the teachers boarded. They were on Level 1 for three days before the badges found them. The badges took them to Sector 1, never to be heard from again.
“Ector,” Isaac Waits whispered. Ector turned around and saw a bunch of tiny blue pills in Isaac’s open hand. “Want some?”
“No,” Ector replied firmly and turned back around. Isaac’s father was a garbage collector for Madsen Labs, so he had access to the old versions of emotions and the ones that did not work right. Isaac usually stole a few from his dad’s stash and would try them out in different combinations.
“It’s just tranquility,” Isaac said, poking Ector in the back. “The worst that can happen is you pass out for a few hours.” Ector stood up and walked out of the room. The teacher continued talking as if nothing had transpired because he had taken an extra dose of patience that morning.
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