Life Designed (Life Plan Series Book 1), Eliza Taye [great novels .TXT] 📗

of sitting through class, listening to everyone finishing the last touches on their Life Plans knowing he’d failed at discovering who The Council was and how they worked. With his failure still so fresh in his head, he couldn’t focus on his upcoming class.

With a determined scowl, Garrett threw together an outfit, combed his hair, and slung his backpack over his shoulder. He stomped down the stairs to find his mother in the kitchen just placing breakfast on the table.

“Hey, Garrett. Come eat a nice breakfast on your last day of academy. Your father and I are astonished but proud of the turnaround you’ve made. Your teacher Mr. Gargen called yesterday and said you were writing your Life Plan like a madman in class yesterday. He emphasized how impressed he was by your sudden dedication.” Mrs. Gibbons’ brown eyes were glistening with unshed tears, both her hands grasped over her heart.

Garrett paused in the archway to the kitchen, unsure of how to react. His father had placed the article he’d been reading on the table and stared expectantly at him. His mother awaited a response as well.

“Um, well. I…” Garrett’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t know what to say.”

“I’d say you finally got a dose of reality, and just in time too.” His father resumed his article, scooping a forkful of eggs from his plate and shoveling them into his mouth.

“Benjamin,” scolded Mrs. Gibbons, giving her husband a displeased glare. Turning back to Garrett, she gestured to his seat at the table. “Come on and join us.”

Garrett followed his mom’s outstretched hand to the plate filled with eggs, fruit, and his favorite flatbread called soven. His stomach stirred at the sight of the food and he realized he hadn’t eaten in quite a while. Although his stomach nudged him to eat, he didn’t feel like eating anything. “It’s okay, Mom. I want to get to academy a little early today. Besides, I told Opal I’d walk to her house so we could take the transporter together.”

Mrs. Gibbons’ face fell at her son’s rejection of the food she’d worked hard to prepare that morning. She’d been so excited to spoil him by handmaking his favorite bread. After waking up almost two hours early to prepare it, she’d hoped for a better reaction. After all, the final day at academy for a student was such a momentous day for both parents and their children. “Very well, then, Garrett.”

Feeling his mother’s sadness emanating towards him, he took four long strides into the kitchen and scooped her into his arms in a big hug. “Thanks, Mom. I’ll take some soven for the road and eat it on the way.” As he embraced her, he reached for the soven and picked up three slices of it, wrapping it in a napkin.

At the gesture, his mother’s face brightened again. “All right, Garrett. See you this afternoon.”

With a pang, he realized he’d have to find some time to steal a photo of her badge this afternoon to fulfill his promise to Simon. He just hoped it wouldn’t get her into any trouble at work.

Without another word, he left the house, closing the door softly behind him. As he started walking towards Opal’s house, he considered what he’d do with his day. There was a nice park not too far from where they lived where he could sit and write his Plan. The only problem was, he still didn’t know what he wanted to be. He didn’t even know if he wanted to get married and have kids. It seemed like the only things Garrett felt confident about were the things forbidden in Life Plans. He knew he didn’t want a sucky job or to be married to Miranda, but he couldn’t specify those things.

Before he realized it, he’d passed Opal’s house and found himself standing alone at the transport station. As he watched the transporters arrive and depart, he felt an emptiness growing inside him. He had no idea what to do and no one to talk to about it. Everyone he knew thought he’d finally cracked down and gotten to work on his Life Plan. Well, Opal knew he hadn’t, but he didn’t want to hear her patronizing talk right now. It wasn’t going to help matters.

Glancing to the side, he noticed the board listing all the transporter routes and their destinations. As he stared at the board, his eyes locked on the transporter line that headed towards the Undecided sector. Without thinking, he jumped onto the transporter with that destination blinking in bright white lights at the top.

Trapped in the fog of his own thoughts, he sat in silence, staring down at his shoes until he reached the end of the line. Disembarking, he shoved his hands in his pockets and starting walking on the narrowing pathway towards the Undecided sector. Keeping his eyes down, he noticed out his peripheral vision that most of the people were leaving the Undecided sector on their way to work in the Decided part of town, not walking to the Undecided sector like he was.

Garrett could only imagine the stares he was getting for walking in the opposite direction, but he didn’t care enough to glance up. He simply maintained his direction. Before long, he found himself standing in front of Darrington Library. The entire street was just as deserted in the morning as when he’d visited in the evening. Garrett began to wonder if April was even working there so early in the morning. Glancing at his interwave, he saw it was 8:05am.

Looking down both sides of the street, the place appeared less gloomy than it did in the afternoons and evenings, but it was still deserted. If the library wasn’t open and he started poking around, would people think he was looking to steal something?

Shaking off his ridiculous thoughts, he ascended the creaky front steps. Hesitantly, he tried the front