The Innocent (Book 1)

Chapter 1

Inhale. Exhale. Breathe. Screams echoed through the halls of the facility. Natalia Beaufort stood there, screaming her heart out as the men continued to torture her. At the age of 1, she was taken from her family to be experimented on. She was never allowed to go outside the facility, not even for a breath of fresh air. She was tortured and had her memory take away from her life before the facility. Scars covered her body, her golden blonde hair was tinted with pure red blood, and her eyes were as broken as shattered glass. "Gentlemen, you are excused," a female voice stated sternly. A woman emerged from the shadows as the men excited the room. She looked to be about 30 with dirty blonde hair and cold brown eyes. "Dr. Evangeline." Natalia began, her voice filled with hatred. "What do you want?" Dr. Evangeline strolled over to her, slapped her in the face. The sound echoing through the room. Natalia fought the urge to hit her back, for she knew it would be stupid of her. "You should really respect your elders. I would have thought you learned your lesson by now," she snarls. "Get to the point," Natalia says through gritted teeth. "The cities are rebelling against us, they decided to hold a game to see who will rule them. You are going to be our representative." Dr.Evangeline said. "Do I have a choice?" Natalia asks. "No, you don't. Get ready. The games are tomorrow." And then Dr. Evangeline left.

"Please no." A man was on his knees, his hands tied to his back. "If you didn't want to die, you should've thought of the consequences of your actions." A young man says, pointing his gun to the man's head and shooting him. The body went limp and fell to the floor, a pool of red blood oozing at the floor. "Leonardo, great work. Boss is calling you." The man next to him says. Leonardo "Leo" Berkshire. Confident and cocky. Born into a well-to-do household. The Berkshires were noted for their ability to deceive. They cheated people out of money and exploited others. All will go according to plan. When the virus arrived, however, they were useless, and Leo's whole family died except for him. He was discovered by a group of teenagers, who invited him to join their nefarious gang. "You called for me?" Leonardo asks, as he enters the room. "Take a seat, Leonardo." The boss told him, and Leonardo sat down. "The cities have proposed to play a game. Whoever wins the tournament, rules EVERYTHING."  He explains. "What are you proposing?" Leonardo asks, leaning back on his chair. "I'm proposing that you sign up for the games." The boss says. "And why would I do that?" Leonardo smirks, leaning forward. "Riches, power, and you could get anything you desire." He answered. "I'll join the games." Leo said and left the room.