Submission

CHAPTER ONE: RED LIGHTS

Red lights flash, creating a strobe effect on the stark white walls. I feel my heartbeat racing faster every second, feeling just as anxious as the mass around me to get to the Deck.

It came out of nowhere. A loud alarm, blaring across the expanse of the ship. It screamed at us, telling us that something was wrong. And nothing wrong ever happens on the Evade.

Getting pushed from all sides, I feel myself lose my footing on the white tile floors beneath my feet. As a kid I remember sliding down the hall outside our door in only my socks. I had to be careful though because if someone saw me, I'd get in trouble for being loud and distracting. It was chaotic behavior but I didn't think it was chaotic. I thought it was fun!

If anything was chaotic, it was this moment. Grateful for the shoes on my feet this time, I quickly find my footing again and allow myself to be swept up in the swarm of people.

I look behind me expecting to see my best friend, Melody, following at a close distance. Panic sets in when I don't see her dark skin contrasting against the white walls.

Where is she? We were together in the Simulation room when our screens suddenly went red, giving directions to quickly and quietly make our way to the Deck. That was when the alarm sounded, making the whole situation that much more serious.

I whip my head from side to side, scanning the faces all around me in hopes of finding her familiar features. Just breath, I tell myself.

That is one of the techniques that Submit training teaches us. It's also in the official Submit Training Hand Book. 'Slow, deep breath creates control when control is lost'.

How much further to the Deck? I think in desperation. I never thought that the Deck was far from the Simulation room. It was maybe ten minutes away on foot, which made it easy to access the Rations Hall during lunch hour. What feels like hours has only been mere minutes and I realize that Melody could have ended up further ahead of me and already almost to the Deck.

My ears begin to ring, not used to the loud noises all around me. Between the screams and panic coming from the mass and the alarm blaring from above, a headache begins to form.

This isn't normal.

My mind goes back to this morning. It started off so normal! I woke up in our micro apartment which is actually just a large room with a table and chairs, two beds set into the wall, a tiny kitchen, and a couch- all in white. Of course there are small functional pieces of furniture around the room, but that is all. Everything on the Evade serves a purpose, which means that there isn't much else; not that we could afford to have certain luxuries. Everything is being created or repurposed for our New Home.

Aunt Iris and I have tried to personalize our compartment over the years though; but we're only allowed so many personal items to publicly decorate with. Just last Christmas I gave her a holo-pic of me and her that was taken when she took me to her job during the annual Registration Day.

Registration Day is the day of the year when those who finish Submit training have to finally choose a vocation. Those who are still in training get to pick a mentor in any type of career to follow around and learn from all day. I chose my Aunt Iris.

Ever since I was little and she told me what she does for her job, I have never wanted to do anything else. I guess you can imagine then that when I got to go with her on Registration Day, that I was in heaven. It was even more amazing than I imagined all those years.

As soon as I walked into her office full of ancient relics and large screens on every wall, I was mesmerized. She spent the day showing me images of weird looking species and vibrant landscapes. I had never seen so many amazing things in my life. She told me that she was helping the population by learning everything she could about our New Home and how to make it safer for all of us. She even had a personal team to help her research the planet beneath us.