I woke up to my alarm blaring. I checked the time: 6 'o clock, right on schedule. I sat up and swung my legs over the side of my bed and sat there for a moment, feeling as though something wasn't right. I put my feeling aside and went through my morning routine.
I sat down in the dining room room and sorted through the morning mail: Dad's morning paper, Mom's Home & Garden, bills, Lucy's tabloids. Then I stumbled across the red envelope. For a second I just stood there, not comprehending the nightmare I held in my hands. Thend I held it closer and read the name on it: "Nathan Connors". There it was, the letter of damnation, addressed to me. I gasped and did the only thing possible, which was to scream at the top of my lungs. My mother, who was in the kitchen, came running in the room. "What's wrong Nathan?!" she asked. I dropped everything but the red letter, and handed it to her. She ripped it open and quickly read through it as Dad and Lucy came rushing down the stairs. They saw the letter and stopped dead in their tracks. None of us said a word as Mom read the letter. She read it through twice, and then she looked at the front of the envelope. "Let me guess," I spoke up. "I'm due at the Regeneration office in a week." Mom's lips trembled as she nodded, tears already running down her cheeks. Dad walked to Mom and gently pulled her into a hug. Lucy's gaze fell to the floor. Just as the first of many sobs escaped from mom's throat, the phone rang. I walked over to it and picked it up. "Connors' residence, Nathan speaking" I said in a flat tone. A woman answered.
"Hello Nathan. I'm calling to confirm that you have recieved a letter informing you of your summons to the Regeneration Center."
"Yeah, I got it."
"Excellent. You know when you're expected?"
"Uh - huh."
"Alright. You have a nice day." With that, I heard the dial tone and hung up. Lucy looked at me.
"Know what you'll be?" she asked.
"No. It was just the confirmation call." Lucy nodded. Sometimes the Regeneration Center would call and tell you what you would be, sometimes they wouldn't.
"I'll call the school and let them know." Dad said. He walked over to me and hugged me before he went out the front door and walked to his car. He pulled out his cell, climbed in, and drove away. I looked at Mom and Lucy. Mom, who had been sobbing the whole time, walked to the living room and laid down on the couch. Lucy just stared at me. "You know what happens to everyone who isn't told what they're gonna be." she said.
"Don't remind me." I said. Everyone who wasn't told what they would be became a "meat" animal. That meant that I would be dead in two weeks.