Read DESIRE for Free Online Page B

are you going to open it or what?”
    “I want Liam and Sarah to be here.”
    “You show a little more patience than I thought you were capable of,” she said with a smile.
    In a matter of minutes Liam and Sarah had been notified and were on their way. I sat on the edge of the sofa, nervous and excited. I held my future in my hands and was eager to see it and share it with everyone.
    They arrived together, happy for me, no matter what was the content of my envelope.
    “Well,” Liam said sitting across from me. “What are you waiting for?”
    “I’m scared. What if it’s…?”
    “Open it,” Sarah and Liam shouted in unison.
    “Okay, okay,” I muttered. “Here goes.” I pulled out the perfectly pleated lavender letter with the distinct Committee logo. It was all so formal and serious. 
     
    “ Miss Kama Johnson ,” I read aloud. “ Everyone on the Committee would like to congratulate you and welcome you to the adult world of Arcadia. As has been the long-standing tradition, you hold in your hand this letter carefully and thoughtfully penned specifically for you . This is an important step in any child’s life and the system used by the founders and Committee members determines the best future for every member of Arcadian society .”
    “Come on,” Sarah urged. “Get to the good stuff.”
    I muttered my way through the rambling part of the letter and hurried to the good stuff , as Sarah called it. “Okay, let’s put in the chip.”
    I reached inside the envelope for the chip and inserted it into my tablet. Together, Sarah, Liam, my mother and I read the screen:
 
    Kama Johnson: daughter of Janice Johnson from the Amethyst District.
     
    Excellent scores in academics, ranks high among social circles, well-liked by many, head of gymnastics and fencing…
     
    Life’s Plan: Kama Johnson will graduate from High School with honors, head of the class.
     
    My heart began to pound to the point of pain as I scrolled down. There had to be more, I thought. There has to be.
    “Is that it?” I finally asked. “I’ll graduate with honors?”
    “It can’t be, Kama.” Sarah grabbed the tablet from my hands, her fingers working at a frantic pace to find more information. “It’s way too vague. I mean, of course you’ll graduate with honors, any hoo-hah in town could predict that one. It’s the rest we want to know about.”
    I suddenly felt faint, as if my world were crumbling around me. “I’ve never heard of anyone receiving a Life’s Plan like this. Have you?” I asked everyone.
    My mother had a distant and sad look in her eyes as she shook her head.
    “This is bull…
    “Watch your language, Kama. There’s no need to get upset because they’ve not told you what you wanted to hear.”
    “What I wanted to hear?” I retorted as I got to my feet and stomped to the middle of the living room. “They didn’t tell me anything.”
    “Kama, honey,” Liam said softly as he reached for my hand. “Don’t let this upset you.”
    “How could they make me wait until my 18th birthday,” I shouted in near hysterics, “to get a Life’s Plan in which there is no plan?”
    “There has to be a mistake,” Liam went on, his hand taking a firm hold of mine. “Maybe there’s a problem with your tablet or with their chip. We’ll call them first thing tomorrow and find out what’s going on.”
    “I’ll talk to my mother,” Sarah added.
    “Don’t worry about this,” Liam said in a soft and reassuring tone. “We’ll get to the bottom of this.”
    As well-intentioned as they were, I knew. I knew there was nothing more. There was no glitch, no problem, and no mistake. My Life’s Plan went nowhere. “The Committee never makes mistakes.” I looked into Liam’s eyes as he rose to face me. My heart ached and my legs were numb. I wanted to cry, but no tears came. I wanted to sit, but my legs wouldn’t even bring me back to the sofa. I wanted to melt into Liam’s arms and yet it seemed he was miles