Sitting in the "low score" waiting line, looking along a endless row of disturbed citizens all gazing over to the high social score queue. The high social score queue, where the shiny harmonized residents quickly frolicked towards their goal.
"What have you done wrong for sitting here?" a gray haired fellow sitting next to Fa asked.
"Wrong friends, internet and maybe some books I liked. I guess... and you?" Fa groaned.
"I don't use the internet."
Both looked at each other scanning for a reaction and bursted out in laughter.
"Too much internet, no internet... Such a crappy system..." he roared.
A slick tall woman in a white dress with orange stripes walked over and reared up to her maximum height. She held a smartphone into their faces to immediately get the citizen profile of both. She touched some checkboxes and pointed towards the gate with a grim frown.
"This room has to stay quiet - please leave now."
Realizing that she just got into another negative event, which will harm her score, she tried to hide her face behind her hands.
"Mrs. queue Manager - Mrs. queue Manager - I'm sorry, this was my mistake, she is not involved. Please don't register her."
The man stood up and stepped in front of Fa. Some seconds later, Fa also raised from her seat drawing attention from another Queue manager.
"No. Dear Manager. This was only a misunderstanding, we were talking about a software product from Microbytes. It was about an american software for the internet. Please don't register this old man - he is quite confused."
Fa opened her eyes wide, stepped closer to the tall gazelle, lowered a little and looked up in the best begging manner possible. The manager lost a short warm smile, held her finger to her mouth and signalized to be silent. Both troublemakers sat down with a short look of acknowledgement.
"So let's fit in Fa, just fit in and don't lower your score."
She started to do what everybody was doing. Grabbing her phone and starting to swipe through whatever appeared on the screen. Scrolling through her citizen social stream where she quickly liked, shared and swiped what ever looked community compliant. Slowly breathing out air through her blown up cheeks with a empty stair to the screen revealed her dislike of this ritual.
The gray haired fellow peaked over her shoulder at how quick and easy she went through all kind of lists and items increasing her score. He whispered after checking if the Queue manager was looking over.
"You are very good with this - could you teach me? And why do you still have bad scores, if try to fit in?" her neighbour asked.
She turned the screen of her phone away from him and covered it with her hand.
"I told you - it's mainly some uncompliant friends. Or lets say one specific friend. Playing the accepted social game is helping. But looking at other people's screens it definitely not helping." she shook her head and checked for the queue manager's attention.
"But you could show me how to do that? Maybe I can help you hide your friendship?" he mumbled keeping his view on the managers.
"How would you want to help me? You don't use the internet?"
"I know how to bring people out of the country."
She turned away hissing quietly and tried to ignore him. After some minutes of waiting he continued.
"For real. I know how you can get out of the country if you or your friends wants to."
She held up her open hand to the side of her face to hide behind it and try to act focusing only on her phone. She turned further away and bumped into another unfortunate person to her left.
A annoyed stare came out of hairy face above a stained blue shirt.
"Igh" Fa turned back in disgust.
"I thought getting out of the country is easy. And why don't you get out?" she gave in into his approach.
"Getting out is easy, but where do you go, and what about them keeping track of you. I can solve that..." he murmured and suddenly stopped as the second shorter and broader queue manager walked by.
In a professional smile she walked along the low score queue looking happy towards everyone that was holding a smartphone. At the end of the line she grabbed a box with snacks and walked back to the higher score line giving them away.
"Ok, but why don't you get out, if you're so much into that?" Fa whispered.
"I like my house and garden - I'm fortuned that I can life around the system and endure the very few moments I just have to interact with it, like today. But still, I gets harder, I'll have to get into this social citizen crap to keep my place independent."
The whole line stood up and moved over to the other side of the room where the queue manager was waving for them.
"Dear citizens, thank you for visiting us today - there is time for another five people to register, as our leading fellows are finished. So the first five can come with me and to the others I wish a very nice evening and recommend to be her Monday morning again."
A frowning went through the crowd and silent frustration propelled everyone out of the government building.
"Do you want to join me for a coffee?" the gray haired man asked when they reached the street.
"Coffee with a old stranger not using the social citizen system - My parents would turn in their graves..." she chuckled and looked for his reaction.
"Ok no coffee, so how about I give you some products from my garden, or what else you need and you help me to set up my first smartphone?"
"Your first smartphone? How do you survive?"
He silently gestured a question.
"Ok, I'll join you but not at your place - let's go to Chin Coffee - do you have your phone with you?"
He shook his head and she unbelievably opened hers to look for the next phone store.
"Ok come with me, we get you a contract and a phone."
Published on wattpad.com on 19th of June 2016 by one of our writers.
