In 2160 Kanatah, the grid you're born into determines everything, from your clothes to your haircut, education, and job. Avah's only way out is by becoming a doctor, but with her poor schooling, that's almost impossible.
Her life takes a turn for th...
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I sat on the edge of the hard bed, fingers interlocking and forming a steeple. Three years I had spent in this hellish place, and despite Alex and his many false promises, there was no sign I would escape soon.
To survive, I had stolen, fought and lied.
Lie sat on her bed across from me, copper hair in its signature messy bun, as the white light fell across her warm ivory skin. Her expression was relaxed and easygoing. She wasn't the one fighting today.
Lie sighed, lowered her book and glanced at me. "Stop overthinking. All you need to do is stab the guy in his neck before he stabs you."
I stayed quiet. I hated what I had become. If my parents saw me now..., what would they think?
I remembered the old woman I had beaten because she refused to give us the taxes she owed for our protection. I recalled how her jaw cracked and refused to close after I punched it. A sinking feeling had filled my chest as she lay in a heap on the ground.
Nothing would change the harm I had caused.
My foot tapped the tile. If I left and tried to start over, I would never be allowed to pass through here again. As payment for my betrayal, my current allies would kill me on sight. I supposed I could leave and find another group to join. One less barbaric, but the issue was trust. Without an ally like Lie, who stood up for me, I would be nothing but a lonely fish with half its fins broken, helplessly trying to make its way through the crowded ocean.
Someone knocked on the door thrice, then their gruff voice said, "Ruthanne! There's a girl here to see you. Says her name is Bella."
I stared at the grey door as if it would eventually turn transparent and reveal the person waiting on the other side. My heart ticked in my chest, and I placed a hand on the cloth covering my breast, trying to stop it from exploding.
How—
It must be someone else.
There was no way—
I rose, controlled by some other force because my brain had stopped working. Placing my hand on the cool plastic knob, I opened the door and found her waiting on the other side. She smiled at me; her eyes just as blue as I remembered. Her golden skin was a few shades lighter due to the lack of sunlight but beautiful all the same. Even though she wore a grey jumpsuit, she seemed more like an actress playing a prisoner than the actual thing. At the end of the day, she would remove her false garments, put on a lovely dress and return to the world above while the rest of us remained in our pitiful environs.
Olivia raised her hand and touched the scar that travelled down my left cheek—the reminder of a fight I had with a girl a few months before.
Sadness softened Olivia's countenance as she sighed. Her hand left my skin, and I immediately felt the absence of her touch. The people in the hallway were watching. As much as my fellow gang members and I worked together, we also loved tearing each other down, so I pulled Olivia into the room and shut the door behind us, keeping unnecessary ears out of our private conversation.
