Selected

“History is written by the victors”- Walter Benjamin.

The hologram came to life in front of the classroom full of bright eyed students. The date, January 18th, 2166. “Today marks the 50th anniversary of the abolition of Selection. Does anyone know who lead the Revolution?”

A small boy with brown hair and bright green eyes wiggles in his seat as his hand swirls the air. “I do! It was the Bly Brothers. Vox and um, um-”

“Addeck.” A girl interrupted.

The boy glared at her, “I was getting there.”

The hologram nodded, “And what was so special about the Bly Brothers?”

“They were the Selector’s sons.” The same boy blurted out.

The girl rolled her eyes, “No, only one of them was.”

Another boy shouted out, “No, both of them were. The daughter wasn’t his.”

“Settle down, children.” The hologram teacher stopped the fight that was about to break out. “Addeck Bly was indeed the Selector’s son, as was Vox. Halston Bly, however was not. Now, if the Bly Brothers were the sons and heirs of the Selector, why did they decide to abolish it?” The classroom was silent. The children looked at each other and shrugged, none were brave enough to guess.

“There were four tragic factors that lead to the start of the Revolution. The first being the suicide of Yale Plancy, Addeck’s fiance. She was later diagnosed with depression because of her situation. She had been dragged from her home and unable to speak to her family ever again. It was found that most women of the time suffered from depression because of the harsh laws our government had under Selection.

“The second factor had to do with their half sister, Halston. She was not just a product of true love between Mandrine Bly and Clinton Vaughn, but at the time, she was also pregnant with our leader, Jenson Bly. Because President Bly was a product of true love, he should have been aborted by the government. However, the bravery of Halston and the Bly Brothers kept him alive, and now he leads our country flawlessly. It was an outrage to the Bly Brothers, and most of the country that Halston, like many other women at the time, wasn't able to have children, just because she didn't have a match.

“The third factor was the death of the family friend and Senator’s daughter, Felicity Lightheart. She was brutally murdered by her match, Quinton Koontz. Koontz stabbed Lightheart before fleeing Sector 16F. It was disputed whether he did this because of a love letter written by Vox Bly’s very own fiancé. This tragedy sent the country into an uproar.

"The country then became unhinge when Lincoln Bly was murdered by Senator Lightheart. Senator Lightheart, like the rest of the population blamed Selection for their problems. They blamed Lincoln Bly for matching people incorrectly . Riots began in the streets, pe Senator Lightheart was found guilty and executed.

“Two tragedies occurred on the night before Vox Bly’s inauguration into his Selector position. The first was the explosion on the capital building, resulting in the death of all government officials, including the president and vice president. Vox Bly was next in line for the Presidency and was inaugurated the next day.

"That same night, Vox Bly’s match and fiancé, Emmary Eaton, committed suicide. She had left a note that told about her depressing life as a Sector 16 native living in Sector 3 without any familial connection or her true love, Koontz. This devastating loss to Vox Bly was the fourth and final factor that lead to the abolishing of Selection during his inauguration speech. His brave act in taking this stand against the unjust system that took away the basic human right of love away resulted not only the dismantling of Selection, but of the government as well. Vox Bly lead us out of the dark and into the light.

"Our country was once plagued by depression and deprived of the single thing that all humans crave, love. Because of this, tragic incidences blemish our history as a nation, but without them we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

The bell that signaled the dismissal of class sounded. The teacher smiled, “Remember the pledge before you go.” With that the hologram turned off.

All of the students stood up and raised their left hand to their hearts and recited the pledge. “I pledge my life, body, and soul to this great nation. All hail President Jenson Bly.”