CHAPTER TWO

"...Zeena Millfeld,
August Charleville
Polin Lundey
and
Kaytey Krater."

"Wait, Kaytey Krater? The reader said Kaytey Krater, right?" I thought to myself.
The whole class turned their eyes to me. Kaytey Krater.
Mr. Boldeine cleared his throat and coughed out the words "You're excused, Kaytey."
I hoisted my book bag onto my shoulder and bolted from the classroom, slamming the door behind me. I stood with my feet stuck to the floor for what felt like an eternity. Counting my breaths, trying my best to slow them, trying to think.
I couldn't remember how the day had started. I stood there, straining my brain, willing it to work. Think. Think, God damn it.

Something snapped me out of it. A loud crash came from the locker bay beside me, and I craned my neck to see what it was.
A boy who looked around my age stood with his forehead pressed against a locker, banging his fist against it over and over, so hard it was beginning to create a dent.

When he noticed I was staring at him he straightened up and screamed "What?! Don't you have anything better to do than to stare at the guy who just found out he's gonna DIE in the next couple weeks?". I noticed his eyes were red and puffy, and suddenly it clicked. August Charleville.
August was in the year above me in school, and I realized his name had been called out in the Awareness Broadcast. He was probably feeling as hopeless as I was.
"Um... I've got the Awareness, too." I croaked, too scared to raise my voice above a whisper.
He snapped his head up.
"What?"
"I'm Kaytey... I've got the Awareness too." I repeated myself.
"Oh yeah... Kaytey Krater, right?"
I nodded.
"Well Kaytey, it was nice knowin' ya'." He chuckled softly to himself.