“Haven’t you heard, Simon?” Ms. de Beauvoir whispers, “Dr. Pilotti temporarily suspended Jaya from school today.”
“Suspended?! What—?” I stammer. “I don’t get it. Why?”
“The People’s Prom made a number of people very angry, Simon,” Ms. de Beauvoir says.
“I heard the school got inundated with phone calls this morning. Briarwood’s in an uproar. Perhaps Dr. Pilotti thought Jaya would be safer away from school, until the Committee meeting Tuesday.”
My eyes connect with Ms. de Beauvoir’s.
“Committee meeting?”
“Simon, this is very, very serious,” our teacher says. “State authorities are involved now.”
“Wha—but—they can’t—“
“Please Simon.” Ms. de Beauvoir looks down at the assignments she’s grading on her Me-Page. “I’m just telling you what I’ve been told. I know this is upsetting. But everything is politics now. The majority is against her. They’re saying she broke the laws.”
“That’s crazy,” I say. “This isn’t happening.”
“It is happening, Simon.” Ms. de Beauvoir catches my eyes again. “I don’t like it either, but the system’s bulldozing down its enemies now. And if you don’t get out of its way, it’ll bulldoze you too.”
To read the full story about Jaya and Simon's battle for privacy, freedom of speech and human rights at school in the year 2045, click image below.
Theodore Webb is the author of "The STARLING Connection," a novel-series about a near-future drone-filled Dystopia in which a group of teenage "hackers" fight for their privacy and freedom to speak. Webb is the author of several short stories, including "Desperate Engine" and "Family Hour." His electronic books and stories are available on Amazon.com and Smashwords.com. Webb regularly blogs at http://www.theodorewebb.com. "Like" his Facebook author page,http://www.facebook.com/theodorewebbauthor and follow him on Twitter at Theodore Webb @ STARLINGCONNECT.
