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skyannson-blog · 7 years

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Legends: Chapter One

I awoke to a bright light shining in my eyes, confusion settling in my thoughts. I blinked and rubbed my eyes, feeling distraught and lost. I looked around before realizing I was enclosed somewhere. Suddenly, it all returned to me. It was my Awakening Day.

Joy and excitement then filled me. I'd been excited for this moment for so long, I couldn't wait to start my adult life with a perfect job, a nice house, a wonderful husband who was hand-picked just for me. It was so picturesque; it was the best life I could ever dream of. That's why I loved Brooksledge: everything was set in stone, and whatever we got was best for us. The Leaders made sure we were safe and well-protected, and they only had our best interests at heart. I felt so lucky to live here. I realized then that my Awakening was different than imagined. They'd always informed us that we would wake up with a Leader and my husband standing before me, but I was still in my pod.

I shrugged it off and simply told myself that they would be right outside my pod as soon as it opened. Glancing around, I searched for a way out, some kind of way to open it. The pod was just large enough to fit me with a clear opening above and two lights beside my head. All I could see through the glass was the bottom of the pod that was above me. While it was hard to move, I managed to pull my arms up and gently push the glass above. Immediately, I felt the pod jerk forward and the glass top opened.

I sat up slowly, craning my neck to see down the room. The hall was vacant. No Leaders, no Reed, - the man I recalled who was matched with me - nobody. I furrowed my eyebrows; surely, there must be a mistake. I swung my legs over the side and jumped down, barely landing on my feet. I turned in a full circle, getting a better view. I looked down at the gown I was wearing - the hospital-like one they made everyone wear when they slept - and my bare feet. "What an attractive look," I laughed quietly to myself. It wasn't until then I realized I knew I looked different. Extremely different. I felt excited to find a mirror and see what my face looked like, how I had changed from my twelve-year-old self to my twenty-one-year-old self. But first, I knew I had to find someone.

I walked a few steps forward from the pod when I heard it snap close. I turned and watched it go back into the wall of other pods. I noticed the number on the front for the first time, the one that indicated how old we were, and I felt my breath hitch in my throat. The pod's number pad read: 17 years, 2 months, 12 days, 21 hours. I stumbled backwards a bit, instantaneously feeling sick. Hundreds of thoughts began running through my head at once. I wasn't twenty-one, not even close. I was seventeen. I was a teenager. I had awoken too early. I was a Present. I felt dizzy then, feeling panic rise in my body. What would happen to me now? Where would I go? Who would I be? As if on cue, I heard a door creak open. I turned to look down the long hall, seeing the silhouette of a person stand in the doorway with a white light behind them. I felt relief flood over me, and I let out a breath I wasn't aware I was holding.

"Hey!" I croaked out, my throat dry. The sound of my voice was unfamiliar, almost foreign to me; I sounded different than I remembered. I waved at the person. "Can you help me?" The figure stepped forward, enough to where I could see him properly. I noticed it was an older man with greying hair and glasses. He wore a white lab coat and pants, and when he walked towards me, I saw a name tag reading "Dr. Jakobs" on his left pocket. When he stood before me, he looked up at the empty pod with the stopped clock. My empty pod. Nodding, he slowly drew his stern gaze back to me. "Adella Brooks?" "Uh, yes, that's me," I replied, a bit uneasy. "Come with me." He turned abruptly, walking towards the room he came from at a quick pace. I hesitantly followed him, waiting a few moments until I managed to move one foot in front of the other. I tried not to fall on my way - being dormant for so long made my legs feel like jello - and somehow I managed to only stumble twice on the way there. Once inside, he instructed me to sit on a bed in the corner. I did as told, hopping up on it.

"So, am I... am I in trouble?" I asked softly, scared of what the answer might be. "For, you know, waking up... too soon?” "Not at all," the man assured as he filled a syringe with a clear liquid. "You will just be put in a different community than Brooksledge. A better one. People who wake up too early are honored within Legends government, so they will be treated with only the finest service."

"Oh. Okay." I sat back, confused. "But what about the life they planned? What about my home and the man I was supposed to marry?" "You'll have a new planned life there. And a new match, too," he replied monotonously. He then held out a hand and said with a blank expression, "Hand me your arm please." "Why?" I asked, glancing down at the syringe and then back up at him. He sighed. "It's a sterile to help reduce the fatigue from you just waking up. Now please, your arm." "Oh, uh, sure." I slowly placed my arm in his outstretched palm. He began to bring the syringe towards my arm, nearly piercing the skin, when there was a sudden call over the intercom. "Dr. Jakobs, please report to the conference room. Dr. Jakobs to the conference room," the mundane female voice spoke. At that call, the doctor put down the syringe forcefully and dropped my arm. "Oh, for Christ's sake!" He yelled and stormed out of the room without another word. An eerie silence filled the white room as I swung my legs back and forth on the bed. I looked around the bland room as I drummed my fingers against the bed, when I heard a noise come from the ceiling. I looked up, hearing the sound of metal on metal. My eyes widened as the vent slid open by itself. "What the-" I was instantly shushed by a voice. Just then, a boy's head popped through. I muffled a gasp, clasping one hand over my mouth. He jumped down, landing perfectly upright. Beckoning for me to join him, he said, "follow me. We have to get out of here while he's distracted!" "Wh-What?" I stuttered, feeling confused for what felt like the tenth time that day.

"He's going to kill you! That's what they do to people like you! To people like us!" He whisper-shouted. "Now, let's go! We still have a chance to escape without them knowing!" "But he said-" I started before getting cut off again. "I know what he said! News flash, he was lying!" He whispered frustratingly. His expression softened suddenly, and he closed his eyes. "Please just... please come with me. I can't lose another one. Not again." I looked at him for a moment before sighing and giving in. "Okay, okay, I'll come with you." "Okay, thank-" the boy was cut off by the sound of nearby chatter. His face fell as he turned to me. "He's coming back! We need to go, now!"

He jumped up, catching onto the side of the vent before pulling himself up. He leaned down and held out his arms, motioning for me to grab on. I did as he said, holding on to his forearm and trying to help him pull me up. I was nearly through the vent when I heard the door creak open. I instantly froze in place as the hairs on my neck stood straight up, and I looked down to see the doctor standing right by my dangling legs. Everything then became a blur as I felt myself slip from the boy's grip and onto the cold, hard tile ground.

Groaning, I sat up. The first thing I saw was the doctor pick the syringe up. He turned to me, his expression suddenly dark and angry. I felt an uneasy feeling reside in my stomach as I subconsciously scooted away from the man. "He's going to kill you with that!" The boy shouted from above. Both the doctor and I looked up as he informed me, "that needle has poison in it!" I turned to face the man for a split second before he lunged at me. I jumped away, watching as he just barely missed me, the needle stabbing the ground. He looked at me with a vicious glare that made me feel sick. His hand reached up to the tray next to the bed and grabbed a pair of surgical scissors, grunting as he pushed himself from the ground. I pushed backwards until I felt my back hit the wall, looking up in just enough time to see the doctor charging at me. When he got to me, I kicked him in his stomach. He groaned for a mere second before trying to stab me with the scissors. I held his arm, keeping the scissors inches from my face, when I saw the boy jump down behind him. I opened my mouth to say something before opting not to, figuring the boy could give a sneak attack.

"You're not supposed to be alive," the man growled. "Presents aren't supposed to live. They aren't worthy!" "What is wrong with you?" I yelled, pushing him back. He stumbled slightly but still kept strong, throwing his arm down. My arm was nearly stabbed, but I managed to turn at the right moment. Only now, I was in a corner. No way to turn or flee. "It's time to end this. Once and for all." The man, now standing, towered over me. He held the scissors in his hand, the other clenched tightly by his side. "I don't care if I don't use the serum. I hope you have a painful death." I closed my eyes and waited for it to be over, praying it would happen quickly and it wouldn't hurt. When nothing happened for a few seconds, I opened my eyes.

The boy was standing in front of me now, screaming at me to stand and run, that it was only a matter of time. I stumbled as I stood, finding my balance and hurrying to the vent. I noticed the man lying on the ground, half-conscious. I wondered what the boy did, but I frankly didn't care. Once he was inside the vent again, he outstretched his arms to help me. Again, I was pulled up. As I was climbing to the top, with only the bottom of my back and down showing, I felt excruciating pain erupt right by my tailbone. I yelled in pain, refusing to let go of where I was. I feared the worst: the syringe. After everything, I could be poisoned and die before I even made it out of here. The boy helped me up the rest of the way, and I felt tears well up from the pain as I put my arm behind me and felt what the damage was. I recognized it. The scissors were positioned deep in the my back, my fingers greeting a warm fluid gushing from the wound. I knew I was bleeding badly. And yet, I sighed in relief. It wasn't poison. I was alive. "Oh my god, we gotta get you to Matilda!" The boy shouted, pulling me along the vents. "You're losing blood fast."

Everything was just a blur as the kid dragged me along. I felt myself slipping in and out of consciousness. Half of it most likely due to blood loss, but the other half was due to shock. As I struggled to stay awake, I heard snippets of conversations here and there.

"Let's go!" "Matilda... get to Matilda..." "Jesus Christ Darius! What is this?" "She's losing blood really quickly. She might not make it." Finally, darkness fully consumed me.

#writing #original writing #creative writing #chapter one #legends #science fiction

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