I slam the heavy door closed behind me and give the knob a jiggle to make sure it’s locked. From the basket beside the door, I grab my skateboard and give myself a running start before slipping it beneath my feet.
Today’s Neighborhood Watch Meeting is plastered on all the light posts and trees. ‘Be on time,’ the letter reads, ‘We will start at 6PM sharp.’ With a glance at my watch, I grumble at the long hand ten minutes past six o’clock.
For the past year, I’ve been going to Mount Duomo Preparatory Academy. I live six blocks away, but now, it feels more like three. Graduating is nothing like those before us describe. It’s less like a rite of passage and more like a commencement. The quarter seniors receive the certification, Education Completed, and we are to move on to labor opportunities from farming to seamstresses. It’s a change we’re all gradually getting used to.
Like my father, most believe these changes were put in place to control and run tests on us, while others believe we are encased in a dome to be protected from invaders. There’s talk of an extraterrestrial species plotting to invade Earth and do who knows what with us. So three-hundred-eighty-one days ago, our small town, Tulson Valley, was encased and detached from the rest of the world.
Days later, it was said that there was an explosion, some kind of disruption in the Earth’s core, caused by the invaders that destroyed the majority of the world. We were supposed to be grateful that the government took precautionary measures and that we lived through the attack.
The rest of the world wasn’t so lucky. Now we, the only population left, have the responsibility of repopulating and rebuilding the world.
The streets are oddly quiet, no one mingling, no children riding their scooters or flying by on their skateboards and bikes. Granted, I’m running late, but not everyone would have gone to tonight’s meeting. Some people think it’s a waste of time and refuse to set foot in the school where they believe they teach the kids useless information about the past when we should be concerned with where our future will lead us. Truth is, no one knows yet. But they do teach us how we should behave, what labor is, and that we should all do our part to keep our town running.
I look up, a habit I’m trying to break. The bright blue sky merges with the reflection of Tulson Valley. I can see from one end of the town to the other, like the dome’s a map. One school, one hospital, one fire department, and a bunch of houses.
I drop my gaze to the ground and avoid the crack in the street that would fling me forward if my wheels were to reacquaint themselves with it like they did two years ago. I could walk to the school, but this is the only way I’m reminded of the wind. Our air is recycled, and we’ve not felt a real breeze in so long.
Sometimes, I wish I were a baby, and this new way of life was the only life I knew. It wouldn’t hurt so bad to accept being reduced to little hamsters.
Ice cold sweat dampens my nape as I peruse the deserted streets. “Maybe everyone’s already at the school,” I mumble to myself.
I’d hate to think the opposite, that everyone stayed home and refused to go because they’ve given up; because they no longer believe it’s worth the fight; because they’re convinced our calls for help are going unheard.
I kick up my skateboard, hitting the sidewalk that takes me to the walkway of the school. The doors to the gymnasium are locked, forcing me to use the main doors that open to the primary foyer of the building.
An eagle and a flag are weaved inside an octagon emblem that gleams on the well-polished wood floor. Rows of Trophy cases line the walls. They hold awards from when we could take part in sports and arts.
The walk around the school is short as I cut through the yard of fake turf grass. The doors are open with a line of people waiting at the entrance.
“Excuse me.” I breach the line, slipping inside. My neighbors crowd the halls, lined up to make it into the gym.
“Let me go, dammit! Let me go,” a boy shouts at the front of the line. The commotion causes the line to swell as the throng forces its way closer to the action. I catch a glimpse of the familiar low-cut blond hair blending into brown skin and Jerry’s green eyes flashing with anger as he yells again, “Let me go.”
I break through the mass, shoving people out of the way so I can make it to my friend.
“Hey! No cuts,” someone says with an annoyed huff.
I shoo them away.
Samantha and three others are in front. They stand, shocked, tears pooling in their eyes. Jerry’s nowhere in sight. “What? What is it?” I ask, grabbing Samantha by her broad shoulders. “What happened?”
Samantha’s bangs are drenched in sweat, making her red hair maroon. She grabs my hands and brings them between us as her tears fall, splashing onto our arms. In a low voice, she says, “Don’t look them in their eyes, Ari.” She clutches my hands tighter, and her palms, calloused from years of weight training and softball, scrape against my skin. Pulling me to stand in line in front of her, she continues, “Don’t move too fast. They aren’t the regular soldiers… Something has happened.”
We stand at the front of the line, facing the closed gymnasium doors. I guess we’re waiting for clearance to enter, but I don’t know why. Down a short hall to my left that leads past the library and the office, there are two metal doors with glass windows. Outside of them, a line of soldiers stand suited in their powered exoskeleton armor. Behind their helmets, only their eyes are visible, which makes them untouchable and extremely intimidating. I imagine they can crush someone’s neck with the gentlest grip.
The soldiers fill the school yard as they do our entire town since they housed us in this dome. “They’re here to keep us safe,” I remind Samantha. That’s what mom tells me whenever she catches me side-eyeing them or complaining about their aggressive tactics.
A blueish spark strikes through the sky, just over the top of the dome, drawing the mob’s attention. Through the glass roof, we watch it soar until it disappears.
“That’s number five in the last month,” Samantha says.
I shrug, watching the soldiers exit the gymnasium as we wait to enter. I need to find out what’s going on.
“Keep it moving.” A soldier pokes the upper part of his frame into the hall and directs, “You all are holding up the meeting.”
As he walks away, the heavy thuds of his solid footsteps and the creaking and grinding of metal sound with his departure. A dense blue light illuminates his face within his helmet. I’m told it provides the soldiers with sanitized air as they can’t breathe ours.
Heading through the gymnasium doors, I’m yanked to the right, but something from my left draws my attention. Jerry breaks free and rushes back into the hall from the doors that lead outside.
Eyes wide and high brows pulled taut, he shouts, “Ari! Ari. Whatever they say, don’t believe them.”
A soldier bursts through the doors and instantly spots Jerry. Metal clashes as he rushes across the small area of the space. Jerry flees. The soldier snags Jerry by the strap of his backpack and yanks it. Jerry strikes forward, and the strap snaps, ripping his backpack open. Clothes, a bar of soap, a toothbrush, and other necessities fall to the floor. Items that show proof of intent to travel. We aren’t supposed to leave or… escape.
“Warn Jackson, Ari.” Jerry says, snatching up what he can of his items. “They are coming for him. Remember not to look them in the eyes.” The soldier grabs Jerry, bruising his light brown skin, and yanks him away. He repeats his warning as they drag him down the hall.
I spring forward, but the soldier near the gymnasium’s door bars my advance with a stout arm. He shakes his head.
I lift on my tiptoes and shout, “Who, Jerry?”
“All of them! Warn Jackson, please? I’ll probably never see you all again. They’re coming for him. They aren’t here to help. They work for them! Warn Jackson!”
There’s a tug on my arm, forcing me into the gym.
My racing heart slows my steps. I swallow hard and lock my shaking knees. I want to re
spond to Jerry and reassure him the first thing I’ll do is warn Jackson, but when I look for him, they’re gone.
“Let’s move, girl. You’re holding up the line.”
I snatch my arm from the cold, steel-covered hand of the man minding the door. I avoid looking him in the eyes as I arrogantly ask, “What are you all doing?” knowing I don’t deserve an answer. Pointing a finger in the direction they dragged Jerry away, I say, “You’re supposed to be protecting us, not capturing or hurting us. Let my friend go!”
He bellows a laugh, fogging up the glass shield of his helmet for only a second. “You’re already captured.” His laugh settles to a smile. “We are helping keep you nuggets where you’re supposed to be.”
I pinch my lips and narrow my eyes, staring at the chest of the exoskeleton. It’s matte black, supposedly incapable of being penetrated.
“Move,” he instructs.
I suck in a deep breath, knowing I can’t question his authority, or I’ll be next. Only one has gotten free from their capture, and the stories are horrible. Head hung, I turn on my heels and enter the gym.
I don’t know why Jerry was adamant about not looking them in their eyes. I just know his warning was enough, and I do everything in my power to follow it.
Heading into the gym, looking over the loads of people packed on the bleachers, I search for Jackson.
It may be by no mistake that everyone in town is here. Maybe they lured us here tonight. Maybe something bad is going to happen, and this is a setup.
Fuller, Jackson’s closest friend, is sitting among the crowd, blending in far too well. Jackson’s tucked just above him, in his usual black hoodie, with the hood tucked perfectly at the back of his head. He’s always ready to disappear if needed. His entire gang is. They like to live in the dome unnoticed, skating under the radar, because when it’s time for them to strike back, the people responsible for keeping us here won’t be expecting it.
I quickly climb the bleachers, excusing myself as I accidently step on feet and hands to make it to the group.
“Hey, love,” Jackson greets as he scoots over a bit to make room for me. His shaggy hair, tousled around his head, shows he either didn’t care about combing it or he’s had his hood on the majority of the day. His gaze meets mine, and worry narrows his eyes. “What’s wrong?” He brushes his thumb over the pinched skin between my brows, and the muscle relaxes.
I tuck my brown curls behind my ears and whisper to him. Fuller also looks concerned, waiting for my news. “You can’t stay here. They took Jerry. Jerry said to tell you they’re coming for you next. He had a bag packed like he planned to leave somewhere. And he said not to look them in the eyes because they are them.” With bated breath, I wait for Jackson to unravel the mystery.
His wide eyes sober, and in a conclusively yet worried tone, he mutters, “It’s happening.”
“What?!” I jump to my feet as he climbs to his. “I need to know what’s going on. And now!” My hands are shaking, and I grab his arms.
“All the training and challenges that I put you through are about to pay off,” he says and pivots to jump from the bleachers but immediately sits back down, yanking me with him.
Triple pounds echo through the gym, followed by, “Excuse me, everyone.” A pale woman with hair so blond it looks white strolls to the middle of the gym floor, mic in hand. Dressed in a sporty jogging suit, she’s accompanied by a man dressed the same but with red hair, standing beside her. “We—”
An explosion shakes the school. Screams and gunshots fill the outside. For a split second, everyone within the school is quiet. There’s a second explosion, and we all have come to the same conclusion. Whatever is out there will soon be in here.
In the next instant, there’s a kiss pressed to my cheek, but when I turn to Jackson, he’s gone.
I scramble to my feet as everyone else races from the bleachers, grabbing hold of their family and neighbors to keep them from getting trampled.
“Jackson,” I shout, searching the changing faces passing me. Neither he nor Fuller are around anymore.
From the windows, strategically placed at the top of the wall nearest the ceiling, we can see the flashes of white and blue, red and orange. Fear has swept over the gym as none of us know what to do next. Do we stay or run? And if we run, where would we run to? Staying in here leaves us as sitting ducks, and if my father and Jackson taught me anything, it was to never let the action corner you.
But whatever the danger is, whatever has the people outside screaming for their lives, whatever it is we’re not supposed to be looking at and not trusting, it’s out there waiting for us.
The doors to the gymnasium leading outside blast open, and like the water of a broken dam, everyone in the gym floods outside. Everyone runs out in different directions, into the war of our soldiers and another type of creature made up of three metal legs, a flesh-like spider’s body, and a circular metal head with teeth like a shark’s. It has no eyes, but has no trouble hitting its target with some kind of artillery connected to its legs that fires off gunshots.
The creatures made of metal and stringy fur plow through the crowd on their three legs, snatching up my neighbors, screeching as they attack their victims.
“Jackson!” I say, balling my fists to manage the anger and panic shaking my hands. I can’t find him or Fuller or any of his friends anywhere. “Jackson,” I call again, hoping wherever he is, he’s safe and hidden away from those things and whoever Jerry mentioned is looking for him.
“Ari!” comes from my left.
Penelope’s racing toward me. Her slim frame slams into mine, and she yanks us down to duck behind a car. I give her a minute to catch her breath. “They took him,” she pants. “They took Jackson.” She slams her fist against the cement ground. “They took Jackson! All twenty of them from the Resistance; Rich, Jen, Gloria. They even took Merge! They got everyone, Ari!”
Climbing onto my knees, I look her dead in her glossy brown eyes. “Who? Who took them?” I snatch her by her shoulders and yank her from her sitting position. “Where’d they take them?”
“I don’t know. They’re gone.” She cries and throws her arms around my neck.
I rub her back. “Shh. Listen.” Silence sweeps over the parking lot, over our domed town.
I peek around the front of the car, scoping out the parking lot and football field where the war has destroyed most of the school grounds. The soldiers are helping people from the ground, and the other creatures are nowhere in sight.
“Come on,” I tug Penelope to her feet and round the car.
People crowd the closed doors of the school, yanking on the handles, banging and kicking at the door. They scream and beg to be let in, but the doors do not budge.
“They’re losing their minds,” Penelope observes.
The door flings open, and out marches a line of soldiers. Before each of them is one neighbor, a metal and plastic collar around their necks. They march past us to an arriving black bus. I ask as they pass, “Where are you all going? What’s happening?”
A soldier steps in front of me and says, “Leave this alone, girl.”
Jerry’s among the ones being escorted to the bus. Rushing to his side, I say, “Tell me what’s going on, Jerry. Have you seen Jackson? I heard he got taken.”
He shakes his head. “They are coming, Ari. I doubt they got Jackson. Do what you can to find him, asap. Remember, this place was nothing but a testing facility. They’ve been studying us. So no one is safe, and they want all of us. Remember, don’t look at them. Don’t breathe their air. Don’t believe what they say, or else you’ll end up like the rest of us.”
“Where are they taking you?”
“To change us. They’re going to kill us, and then we’re going to be reengineered. I truly believe what the Resistance has been trying to convince us of. So the next time you see me, don’t trust me either. Don’t look in my eyes.” He’s shoved forward by the soldier behind him.
“Shut your trap,
twig. And keep moving.” The soldier shifts his gaze to me for a sliver of a second and then averts it back to Jerry. He shoves Jerry into the bus.
I fall back, watching as they finish boarding.
Chapter Two
A hard, icy hand wraps around my shoulder. I don’t have enough time to turn around and see who it is before I’m yanked backward, hauled down on a cushioned seat, and the car door’s slamming, locking me in.
I sit up against smooth leather, twisting left and right. There’s a shift, and while it’s clear that I’m in a vehicle, the doors are walls, no windows or handles. No seats before me. I’m in a box.
The drive seems short. I shift forward from the brakes being applied and back when the car settles. It’s silent, and I wait, knees jumping, heart pumping. The door doesn’t open. A white mist sprays from the center of the ceiling. Panic forces me to inhale and as regret ensues, I grow lightheaded.
And then… nothing.
A snap of thunder jerks my spine straight. I blink, blinded by a bright light cast from above me. I lift my hand to my head, but something cold rattles, yanking my arm by my wrist, back to the table I sit behind.
I look from my restraints across the silver, steel table to the black exoskeleton armor suit in front of me. My gaze stops at its chest where Official is engraved.
He slams his hand on the table. The same snap of thunder that woke me cracks loudly in the compact room made of white glass walls, white tiled floor, and ceiling to match.
“Is that it?” he asks in a calm voice, unlike the abrupt gesture requesting my attention.
I knit my brows and shake my head. “What?” I’ve said nothing.
“What happened at the school yesterday,” comes from behind me in a deep male’s voice. Also calm, but informative, as though he were used to answering questions such as these.
The Separation Trilogy Box Set: Books 1 -3 Page 89
