Free Peace Out (The Futures Trilogy Book 1) by G.M. Whitley Page B

fixed the permission slips. We ’re going to do PO Ed.”
    “Why didn ’t you tell me?”
    “Because I knew you ’d spill the beans.”
    “If Mom and Dad find out they ’ll kill us.”
    “I don ’t care,” Sammy whispered vehemently. “All we hear about is how evil Peace Out is. I want to hear the other side of the argument. Isn’t that what Daddy is always saying? That we should hear both sides of every argument?”
    “Sammy Bishop, quiet down,” Mr. Eggers said. “Our guest will be here any minute.”
    Sammy slumped back into her chair.
    Becca didn ’t know what to do. If she told Mr. Eggers, Sammy would never forgive her. But they were going to get caught for sure. Christy would mention doing PO Ed with them to her mother. Her mother would tell their mother. It was all going to fall apart. Better to end it now, right?
    A message appeared on the desk. A plea from Sammy. Becca sighed and wrote back.
    Becca: We’re going to get caught.
    Sammy: It ’s worth it.
    Becca: Are you sure?
    Sammy: If you are worried about Christy, she knows. She won’t tell.
    Their screens went dark. “Thank you to the Bishop twins for reminding me to trigger blackout,” Mr. Eggers said. “You will give our guest your undivided attention.” There was a knock on the classroom door. “And here she is.” He opened the door and a tall woman with curly black hair came in. “Class, this is Ms. Alfano,” he said. “Please welcome her.”
    “Hello Ms. Alfano,” the class chorused.
    “Hello,” she said. “My name is Angela Alfano and I am a Peace Out Educator. I go to schools all over Washington to teach sixth graders about Peace Out. Now it will probably be a very long time before Peace Out is an option for any of you, but I wanted to ask you all something. What do you know about Peace Out?”
    Nobody raised their hands.
    “Come on,” she said. “Do I have to call on somebody?”
    Nobody raised their hands.
    “Alright,” Ms. Alfano said, “How about you?” She pointed at Christy. “What do you know about Peace Out?”
    “You kill people,” she said. “You bury them under trees and sell the corpse fruit.”
    “Christy,” scolded Mr. Eggers.
    “No, Mr. Eggers,” Ms. Alfano said. “Christy doesn’t use the same words we like to use, but she is right. Peace Out helps people end their lives. Not all Peace Out Centers are like Bellingham, but here we do bury those who wish under trees and we do sell the fruit. For those who have died, the trees serve as a way for them to give back to the living. Anyone else?”
    Mike raised his hand. “My grandma Peaced Out,” he said.
    “Why?” asked Ms. Alfano.
    “She was really sick,” he said. “The doctors said they couldn ’t fix her. So she Peaced Out.”
    “Thank you for sharing that,” Ms. Alfano said. “Anyone else? Yes, what ’s your name?”
    “I ’m Piper. I heard anyone on BL for more than five years has to Peace Out.”
    Ms. Alfano ’s smile stiffened. “That is completely false,” she said. “No one is ever forced to Peace Out, regardless of whether they are on Basic Living.”
    “James told us he found a toe in a corpse peach,” Catelyn said, waving her hand in the air.
    “Did not,” James said.
    “Did too,” she shot back. “He told all of us that.”
    “Children,” Mr. Eggers warned. They quieted down.
    “Well,” Ms. Alfano said, “I see that I have a lot of misinformation to dispel.” She reached into her briefcase and took out a stack of pamphlets. “Take one and pass it back,” she said.
     
     
    Sammy, Becca, and Christy sat together for lunch. The twins had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, chips, and grapes. Christy had a turkey avocado wrap, apple slices, and a chocolate chip cookie. After some dickering, half the cookie and two apple slices were exchanged for a bag of chips and five grapes.
    “Hey Mounds,” Levi Mazzo called from a nearby table, “I think you ’ve got Ms. Alfano beat!”
    “Shut up, Levi,” Christy