There Were Eight

Intro

Lyla's POV

The year is 4034. The world used to be split into four groups; Group A, Group B, Group C and Group D. I was in Group C.
Why? Two hundred years ago the world was normal. We had hotels, buildings, schools, fancy technology and fresh food. Perfect right?... No. The world may have looked amazing from the outside, but the inside was disgusting. The presidents and leaders of each country were bastards. They did terrible things and made bad decisions. That was until Gen-Z took control in 2040. They burned the White House and bombed Buckingham Palace. They burned and bombed important buildings and temples. The rulers did not like this, so they fought back. It was a never ending war. When it finally ended the remaining rulers decided to split us into groups to keep the peace.
Now two hundred years later the government is still going with this. The world is okay. We have houses and supermarkets and schools but there are still bad people out there. Though there aren't any laws, police are still around, making sure everything is in order. It's bullshit.

Noah's POV

I was in Group D. I didn't have a family, they were all killed when I was ten. The last thing my mother said to me was "Run. Run and never look back."I was just a kid back then, I didn't understand what had just happened. Sobbing, I ran.
And that's what I've been doing for four years. Running. Running from my past. I didn't know where to go, the cops chased me and tried to put me in foster care but I ran faster. (The cops are only here to keep things in order.) I hunted my own food and learned how to use a sword. I lived in an old ruined castle and survived there for four years. Barely.

Amelia's POV

I used to be in Group A, the world was split into all these groups. I didn't like it and I think it's wrong.
I got to do a lot more stuff than Group C and D. I was allowed to play sports, read anything and do anything I want. But I wouldn't never do anything illegal like killing someone or selling drugs. Even with pure pressure. It's happened before, my friends wanted me to party with them and do illegal things. Of course I refused and decided to study instead. I stick to the old laws from two hundred years ago, they are so much better.
My father was killed when I was five. It was a mass shooting at the biggest school in America. 548 people died, including my father.
 
Lucas's POV
My last memory was pain and blood, followed by the screams of the people I trusted most in this harsh cruel world.
I was in Group B. I loved to read. My mum was in Group A and she wasn't very smart. She was always trying her best and working hard to pay for rent and for me to have a better future. I'm an only child. It's always been Mama and I. My dad left us when I was seven because he didn't love Mama anymore. After that, Mama cried every night. I didn't understand where my father went. Did he go on a holiday without us? Did he go to the shops? Where was he? It took a year for me to realise what had happened. I was overwhelmed when I found out. I always thought he would come back home. I would never think that he would start a family with another woman. School was okay. I was top of all my classes and had a big friend group. But I never felt like I belonged. There was always a part of me that was saying "This is so wrong." I chose to ignore it. That was until my adventure started.

Lyla's POV

"I'm bored.", I said. "You're always bored,'' replied my sister Lily. I smiled at her. "Wanna play hide and seek?" She grinned and ran to hide. I closed my eyes and started counting, "1...2...3..." I listened for her footsteps then heard the door slam. I thought of the places she
 
would hide. Behind a bush, behind the waterfall or in our old treehouse. "57..58..59.. Coming!"
I ran outside to find her. Our backyard is a rainforest, so it would be so hard to find her. I heard laughter deep into the bush and my name. I ran into the opening of the rainforest, past the stream, past the abandoned shack, past the broken tree to the waterfall.
I shivered as I heard my name again. It was eerie, like a ghost was calling me. I brushed it off and went behind the waterfall. I loved hanging out there. It was a magical crystal cave. The crystals glowed and had dancing tiny lights around them. The weird thing was that it only looked like that when nobody was around, just me. I tried to take a photo but it came out black. I decided to rest and sit on a rock. I kept thinking about how weird the cave was, then fell into a dreamless sleep.
I woke up to a bright light and an eerie voice calling my name. I opened my eyes to see a goddess looking at me. "You have been chosen." She boomed. Her voice was comforting and magical. "Chosen for what?", I questioned. "All will become clear when you look into the water."
"Huh?"
"You will see, very soon."
Then she vanished. I walked out from behind the waterfall to look for Lily. I was confused. What have I been chosen for? Who was she? I shook my head to clear my mind and ran to the shack. Lyla must be hiding there. I opened the door and saw Lily, holding a Nintendo Switch. "Took you long enough." She rolled her eyes at me. I laughed, "Let's go back home. I have homework." She got up and followed me back home.
That night I woke up with a headache. I checked the time, '1:00am' I got out of bed and got a cup of water from the jug in the fridge.

A glowing blue gem flopped in, along with a note. 'You have been chosen. Touch the gem.' Not knowing what I was doing I touched it. Then everything went black.

Noah's POV

I woke up to the sound of the crows squawking overhead Again. I'm used to it now. I got out of bed and got dressed in the clothes that I smuggled. I walked over to where I make food and took out a piece of bread and the jar of jam. After I ate, I walked outside. It was quite beautiful. It had a massive flowerfield with yellow and pink flowers. In the middle of it all was my white horse, Sarai. I whistled and she trotted up to me. I hoisted myself onto her back and said, "We need to get more wood. Let's go to the forest." She snorted and trotted to it.
After ten minutes of riding deep into the forest, I dismounted and walked to a good pile of firewood. I opened my bag and put a few pieces in. Sarai started to get restless and neighed like crazy. "Sarai," I put on my most stern voice, "Quiet." She didn't stop which was weird, she always stops when I tell her to. Then she bolted. I heard low growling in the bushes and the realization hit me. Wolves.
My hands shook as they slowly came closer. Then something hit me between my eyes. I bent down to pick it up, quickly putting it in my pocket. I didn't know what it was at the time, I just thought I could sell it for some food.
The biggest and most dominant of the pack jumped at me, digging his sharp claws into my shoulders. Pain surged through me as I tried not to scream. I fell back because of his weight. He snapped his sharp teeth at me, inches away from my face. I put my hands in front

of it, preparing for the worst. Then there was a large light. It was hot. The wolves yelped and whimpered and the male got off me and ran. My eyes widened as I saw what they were running from. A huge fire. Did... Did I do that? I shook my thoughts away and ran.

Amelia's POV

"Wake up sweetie, it's ten am!" My mothers voice. So calming. I fluttered my eyes open and looked up at her. "Morning mother.", I said in a croaky voice. "Come on now, the day's ticking away! I made you bacon and eggs!" she said. I smiled, "I'll be down in a minute, just let me get dressed." She nodded, and went out of the room. I got out of bed and got dressed for breakfast. I thumped down the stairs, skipping one each time. I hit the downstairs floor and heard my mother say, "Stop doing that Amelia! One day you'll break a bone!" I rolled my eyes and sat at the bench, my plate in front of me. "I have to be at work all day hunny. I won't be back until seven so do you think you could order a pizza if I leave some money?" she said. I looked down at my feet. "Again?" I asked. She sighed and wiped the bench, "Yes, sorry."
"I wish dad were here." "Me too..." she sighed.
An hour later she left. I turned on the TV and watched the late news. Murders, Royalty thefts, a recent forest fire... Wait! I hit rewind to watch. A man in Group B was talking, "A huge forest fire has randomly taken place. After all the snow in the past month, nobody can figure out how this happened. We assume it was on purpose. " My brain sizzles as I try out figure out what I just heard. It's been at least 10 degrees the past few days, there couldn't possibly be a fire?

I turned off the TV and went to my room. I flicked on my fan, it was really hot that day. I sat at my desk and opened my computer. There was something weird in my plant... "What?" I said. It was a green

gem! Pure, light green. I picked it up. A voice in my head said, "Amelia.. You have been chosen..." Chosen for what? I thought. It was weird. A random gem? Whose voice was that? "Weird.." I whispered under my breath.

Lucas's POV
I heard my alarm beep and woke up, remembering the dream I had. It felt like I was somebody else. I was staring at myself and two other kids. The boy had brown hair and brown eyes, he looked tired. I looked the same, there was a girl there too. She had blue eyes and strawberry blonde hair. I had a feeling we were all linked somehow... It was weird.
I got up and got dressed. My family was away for the weekend, in Texas I didn't want to go, plus who's gonna look after the dog?
I went downstairs and made breakfast. It was quiet without me and my siblings fighting 24/7. After breakfast I fed the dog and took her for a walk. Usually I would be supervised and couldn't go anywhere I wanted to. But now, I can. Instead of going through the front door, I went through the back.
My backyard is a rainforest and I've never been in it before. I go in, a tight grip on the leash. I took a deep breath, looking at my dog. "Let's go Sky..."
We walked in and I heard lorikeets squawking. It was loud, but peaceful somehow. Suddenly, a gush of air blew into my face and a clear white gem hit my head. "Ow, what the-" I was about to curse when I heard it. "Lucas... You have been chosen..." Chosen for what? I picked up the gem and I felt a tingle go through me. Weird, I thought. That was until I learned everything.