The Trackers by Raena Low

Celine stayed up that night, thinking. Indie tired easily on Sundays. Was she sleeping well on Saturday nights?

Celine watched the old clock blink periodically. When she heard the footsteps at midnight, Celine could feel her heart beat faster, and saw her Tracker flash. Celine felt an overwhelming urge to check on Indie, so she walked out of her room. She saw Indie, walking out the door. Celine's Tracker blinked rapidly, warning Celine that her pulse was higher than usual. 

Indie walked into the small woods. People dared not to go inside, fearing what may lay inside, making it the perfect place for Indie and Dr. Jon to meet up. Every week, they researched how to remove the Trackers without causing death. The Trackers were small devices that the government put in everyone's arms, with tendrils that wrapped around the main artery. Trackers sent information about every person's heart rate and location via satellites. The government used it to maintain their position and peace in the city. They knew that anger could spark a rebellion. Knowing a person's location was necessary to hunt down anyone who could potentially rebel against them. The tendrils not only measured one's pulse but also ripped the main artery should anyone remove the Tracker, causing instant death. The survivors of the tsunami, which caused countries to fall one after the other like dominoes, were convinced to have Trackers on them and live in a city, which had the highest number of surviving buildings in one area.

Indie and Dr. Jon were oblivious to Celine's presence, who followed Indie into the woods. Celine pressed her fists into her eyes until she saw nothing but sparkles, hoping that what she saw was her imagination. When she removed her hands, the two were still there. She could not believe her daughter was with Dr. Jon, Head of Tracker Research and Development Department. Celine wondered what they were doing at midnight, when a large piece of paper with a drawing of a Tracker caught her eye. Suspicion grew inside her. Were they rebelling against the government? Convincing herself that Indie was innocent, Celine informed the police.

A man in a dark blue uniform and a stoic expression marched towards Celine. She pointed to the two that were crouched over the paper. The man walked to them and asked, "Indie Moon? Jon Viv?" Before Indie could comprehend anything, Dr. Jon stood to explain that Indie was innocent, as he forced her to take part in his plans. Without saying a word, the man took out a metal device and jabbed it into Dr. Jon's side. He fell to the ground and did not even wince. The man carried Dr. Jon away. Celine ran to Indie and held her in her arms afraid to let go. A tear rolled down Indie's cheek.Indie knitted her eyebrows together as she tried ti make sense of the figures on the paper. No one knew that she always had it. It had been weeks since Dr. Jon's arrest, since the government sent him into the inhabitable conditions of the outside world without any resources. He was as good as dead. Indie screamed and grabbed the flashing, beeping device in her arm. Tears streaming down her face, Indie pulled with her last bit of strength.