“Hey, did you get tomorrow’s agenda from the academy distribution site yet?” inquired Garrett. “I still haven’t printed mine.”
Sighing loudly, Opal shifted the cube to sit on the sill above the sink so she could continue talking to Garrett and still wash the dishes. “Garrett, sometimes I worry that you wouldn’t be able to function as a human being without my help.”
“Yeah, that’s a reoccurring nightmare of mine,” joked Garrett. When Opal didn’t retort with a snarky reply, he asked. “Are you sending it?”
“Nope, I’m already ahead of you. I sent it before I left for City Hall earlier today.”
“Aw, Opal, you know me so well.” Garrett’s white teeth flashed against his brown skin as he grinned into the screen.
“I know, we have been friends for most of our lives. I’d be an idiot not to know you better than myself by now.”
“Garrett! It’s dinnertime, get out of that room!”
“Hey, my mom is calling. Gotta go.”
“Over and out,” replied Opal as she put down a plate and picked up the sciorb. Garrett’s face disappeared and she placed the sciorb out of the way where it would be safe from splashing water.
Opal carefully took her time finishing the dishes until they were spotless to her satisfaction and then gently put them away in the appropriate cupboards. Walking through the doorway to the kitchen, she entered the immaculate living room where her family was sitting.
“Hey, Opal, do you want to play with us?” asked her little sister, Gabrielle. Even though they were eight years apart, Gabrielle was essentially Opal’s twin. Both sisters had the same shade of apple-red hair and emerald green eyes.
“No, I think I’d rather research our occupation tours tomorrow. I want to know as much as I can. Sorry, Gabrielle.”
Gabrielle flicked the dice across the board without looking up and responded, “That’s okay…I think I’m beating Mom and Dad already anyway.”
“Oh, honey, sit down. It won’t take long,” urged her mother, Holly.
“Yeah, Opal, your mother is right. I’m certain you know it all backward and forwards anyway. You always overstudy and then spend time obsessing that you don’t know enough,” psychoanalyzed her dad, Alan.
“No, I’m sorry, but I really do want to keep looking at what the academy sent us. Who knows, I may alter my Life Plan after seeing one of the occupational tours tomorrow.”
Her mom laughed. “Opal, you’ve known what you’ve wanted to do for over three years. I doubt one occupational tour would change your mind at the last minute.”
Opal shrugged. “You never know, Mom. The world works in mysterious ways.”
Shaking her head, Holly knew not to push the topic any further. When it came to Opal’s Life Plan, there was no reasoning with her. The whole family knew it.
As her family continued playing their dice game, Opal turned to the narrow wooden staircase in the corner of the living room across from the front entryway and made her way up the stairs. Lightly brushing her hand against the handrail in case she lost her balance, she allowed her thoughts to wander. Reaching the top step, she paused. Had she really designed the best Life Plan possible?
Shaking off the troubling thought, she opened the door to her bedroom directly across from the staircase. Instantly, the atmosphere of her bedroom filled her with familiarity and comfort. The light purple painted walls always gave her the serenity she needed after a long stressful day at academy. Kicking her shoes off near the door and placing them beside each other at the bottom of her closet, she slipped on her house shoes and sat on the bed.
Falling backward onto her purple bedspread, she mentally reviewed the Life Plan she had just submitted for pre-approval. Her chosen career path was to be a lawyer. She would attend the Academy of Higher Learning School of Law right after primary academy. Within five years, she would have her degree and be accepted at a law firm. By working hard, in five additional years, she would be well on her way to the top of her field. At thirty, she planned to marry and have two children. At the age of sixty, she would retire to do charity work until she died.
Of course, there were additional plans in between the ones she’d highlighted, but they weren’t as important. Even though the Life Plans were guaranteed if approved, Opal worried there was still too much uncertainty in life for her tastes. Rules and guidelines dictated how detailed a Life Plan could be and she felt that too many of them left possibilities for negative outcomes. For one, no one could plan when or how they would die. True, if one’s plan was approved, then they were guaranteed to live long enough to carry it out, but you could die the day after your retirement plans or years afterward. Another rule that disconcerted Opal was not being able to choose your future spouse—not that she had anyone in mind, but she’d heard of situations where someone married another person whose Life Plan was compatible, but who was incompatible in some other way. Once approved, a Life Plan was set in stone, there was no altering it. It was a big decision, creating and finalizing one’s Life Plan. One wrong decision and one could be doomed forever.
Opal jerked into a sitting position, folding her legs and resting her elbows on her knees. There was just so much to consider. The proposal she had submitted was over eight pages long. When she had asked her peers and parents how long theirs were, most ranged between three and five pages. Had
